Operation: Potential Breakup
by May Vulcan
Summary: Harry's friends don't approve of his new girlfriend, but he's much too blinded by his feelings for her to see that. Now Hermione, Ron and Abigail must go out of their way to show the Boy Who Lived just how toxic and terrible his relationship has become. But just how far will they go to prove a point? And will they succeed or will all their efforts fall short?
1. Chapter 1

Abigail Crenshaw could hear the voices beyond the door before she turned at the knob slightly. She pushed the door open and saw Hermione Granger and Caitlyn Moore, Harry Potter's girlfriend. The two of them looked like as though they had just finished laughing as Abigail made her way across the girls' dormitory. She hopped onto her bed and tried her best to ignore the other two girls.

"He asked me in the most adorable way ever!" squealed one of the girls.

Abigail didn't care to figure out which one of them it was as she pulled the covers over her head. Although the sun was still out, she figured she could use the rest, especially since she had picked one of the worst times to enter her own dorm. She groaned to herself at the idea of the upcoming ball; did they not just have the Yule Ball during her fourth year? What was the point of having another one two years after?

"That's wonderful, Caitlyn," Hermione replied. "Do you know what you'll be wearing yet?"

Rolling her eyes, Abigail shot up from beneath her sheets. It would be nearly impossible for her to get any peace with the demon spawn of the underworld in the room gushing over the marvelous details of said spawn's super expensive dress. She crawled out of her bed and hurriedly made her way back out of the girls' dorm.

"Leaving so soon?" Caitlyn wondered, tucking a strand of hair behind her right ear. "But you just got here, Abby?"

Abigail turned around to face the two brunettes, but not before putting on a fake smile. "I figured I would go take a nap in the common room," she explained, gritting her teeth. "Wouldn't want to _intrude_ on your conversation and all…"

She noticed that Hermione's eyes never left hers. Abigail stared back at her best friend in confusion. Hermione really couldn't expect her to stay in the dormitory, Abigail thought to herself. After all, Hermione knew exactly how Abigail felt about Caitlyn; it would be wrong to ask her to stay if she couldn't even be civil around the girl.

"You wouldn't be intruding at all!" Hermione added at once before shooting Abigail an apologetic look. "Who are you going to the ball with, Abs?"

Abigail shot a glare at her friend before walking back to her bed. She sat down at the edge of it and shrugged. "I haven't been asked yet," replied the blonde, scratching the back of her neck. "I don't mind or anything; I think these type of things are stupidfrivolous and just plain stupid."

"She's… _joking_, right?" Caitlyn asked Hermione, who shook her head. "How can you hate balls? Is it because you never have anyone to go with?"

What Potter saw in her Abigail would never know.

"No…" she drawled. "I just hate having to put too much effort in how I look."

"But yYou don't have to!" Hermione said with a smile.

Caitlyn gasped, feigning offense. "Hermione, she can't just show up looking like crap!"

Abigail balled her hands into fists as Hermione explained her statement. She didn't understand why Hermione was actually _trying _to keep the conversation between the three of them going. Shooting another confused look at Hermione, Abigail scanned the room, hoping to find a distraction.

"I wasn't suggesting that she show up looking terrible," remarked Hermione. "I was just saying that she doesn't have to try hard to look good…"

"Oh… well, then," Caitlyn forced a laugh. "I'll be in the common room, waiting for Harry to come back from Quidditch practice! Toodle-oo!"

As soon as Caitlyn walked out the door, Abigail threw her pillow at Hermione with a fierce growl, followed by a death glare.

"You know I bloody hate her!" Abigail hissed. "Why the hell would you make me sit here in a room with her? And of all the conversations I could have had with her, you make me talk to her about a stupid dance!"

"Well, her company isn't exactly the best," Hermione sighed, tossing the pillow behind her. "I just didn't want to face her alone. Sorry for dragging you into it…"

"Just don't ever do it again, Granger…"

Hermione nodded nervously. "So…" she went on. "Who are you really going to the ball with?"

"I'm not going with anyone," Abigail barked as she pulled her hair into a high ponytail. "I already told you that."

"You touch the back of your neck when you lie or you fiddle with your hair," the smart witch retorted curtly. "You're going with someone. Now tell me who asked you!"

Abigail buried her face within her hands. She shook her head violently, grumbling to herself in frustration. It would be easier to just _lie _to her best friend than it would be to tell her the whole truth; however, she didn't exactly have to tell her _everything_, right?

"Whoooooo?" Hermione begged. "You nearly rejected every boy that asked you to the Yule Ball. You've declined every Hogsmeade date since we were in our third year! You've-"

"I get it, Hermione," Abigail said flatly. "Boys just aren't my forte."

Hermione scoffed as she began to pace the room. "So I assume that Harry Potter isn't just a boy to you…"

"Shut it, Granger," Abigail threatened. "He's just a friendliterally just one of my housemates!"

"You don't want it to be that way," commented Hermione smugly. "That's why you hate Caitlyn so much-!"

"Backtrack for a sec, girl," the blonde cut off her friend. "You think _that _is the reason why I hate the all-mighty Caitlyn Moore? Ha!"

"Well… it's a contributing factor."

Abigail rolled her eyes once more as she flopped onto her stomach. "Whatever…"

"Who asked you to the ball?" Hermione pestered eagerly. "Please just tell me that and I'll leave you alone!"

"Technically, I asked him."

Hermione stared at Abigail wide-eyed. "You did what now?" she stammered. "Because the last time I checked, you were secretly fawning over Harry Potter!"

"Why don't you speak up, Hermione?" Abigail rolled over to look up at the fabric above her head. "I don't think the Slytherins in the Dungeon heard you in their common room."

"If you would just tell me who you asked," Hermione pleased, "I swear I'll back off. Please just tell me. I need to know!"

"Malfoy."

* * *

**\- author's note -**

**[written]:** _March 12, 2014  
_**[****published****]:** _March 12, 2014  
_**[last updated]:**_ April 15, 2016  
_**[word count****]:**_ 1,055 words without a/n_

**[MV COMMENT****]: **hi all! there weren't _too _many changes made for this chapter of the story; there may have been a few edits in grammar and spelling here and there, but i don't believe i made too many changes on the entire first chapter. anyhow, i just want to thank you for reading this updated edition of chapter one. stay tuned for any further edits/additions to this series! be sure to leave a review, favorite, or follow - or _all three_! that would be truly spectacular. lol either way, thanks again, you guys! ~ **xoxo, mv.**


	2. Chapter 2

Hopping to her feet, Abigail smirked as she watched Hermione's expression drop. She stood with her arms akimbo before smugly stating, "There. You have your information; will you please leave me alone now? I only came here so I could take a short nap before I met with Neville in the common room heading to the library to finish my Muggle Studies assignment."

Hermione continued to stare at the blonde, mouth agape with incredulity. "_The _Draco Malfoy?" she asked, still utterly confused at what was happening. "The Amazing Bouncy Ferret? The slimy git that hates Harry and the rest of us like-?"

"You said you would leave me alone if I told you!" whined Abigail.

"But you've open a whole new topic of interest," Hermione scolded with a hint of disapproval in her voice. "You asked Malfoy to the Masquerade Ball! If you think that this is a way to sneak into Harry's heart, you've got it backwards; you're gonna sneak your way under his skin if he finds out!"

Unconsciously, Abigail rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that day. She sighed and blew the stray strands of hair out of her face. "Then he's not going to find out, is he, Hermione? It's a _masquerade_."

"But why Malfoy? Of all the other boys in the castle, why _him_?'

"I suppose you would have preferred I ask a teacher instead!" Abigail joked, slipping her left hand behind her neck as she spoke. "And besides, Malfoy wasn't my first choice, but our fathers set us up. He didn't oppose, so why should I?"

"If Harry finds out-."

Abigail smacked herself in the face. "Hermione, I thought we went through this already: Harry isn't going to find out, not unless _someone _rats me out. Besides, what does it matter to Potter who I go with? He and I barely interact with each other!"

"But Because it's _Malfoy_!" Hermione reasoned. "He's hated us for years!"

"He's hated the _Golden Trio_ for years," the blonde corrected. "I repeat: Harry barely acknowledges me. Ron doesn't even know I'm alive. Hell, _you _only talk to me because of the time I comforted you in the bathroom during our first year when the troll attacked!

"Malfoy is a family friend. You may not like him and he's usually not really my cup of tea, but he was one of the only friends I had growing up. Despite being in opposing houses, we still tolerate each other. So can we _please _drop the subject before I find your ball gown and toss it in the Black Lake for the giant squid to feed on?"

Hermione's eyes flickered to her truck in horror. "You wouldn't!"

Abigail crossed her arms over her chest and stared at her friend with her signature smirk.

"You would…" Hermione groaned knowingly. "Okay… moving on."

Abigail sat back on her bed and looked at Caitlyn's bed with a ferocious glare. She inhaled sharply as she looked toward Hermione. "I still don't like her," she stated with another eye roll. "I don't understand why Potter is so gaga about her."

"Frankly," Hermione said, sitting at the end of her bed, "neither do I, but you, Ron and I agree: she's not good for Harry."

That was one way to put it, Abigail thought to herself. While Ron and Hermione might actually think Caitlyn was a bad influence on the Boy Who Lived, Abigail just didn't like the brat from day one; dating Harry Potter only made her hatred grow stronger.

"Intervention, perhaps?" Abigail suggested with a laugh.

Hermione sighed, "That's easier said than done. Ron and I have tried it loads of times before…"

So they had thought about an intervention. Abigail shrugged. The idea of an intervention sounded reasonable, but if they had tried it out before then there was no point in trying again – especially if they had failed all those times before.

Abigail noticed the looked of defeat that Hermione gave her. She frowned slightly before thinking for a moment.

"I'm sorry," Abigail said softly. "I think you and Ron may have it worse off than I do; you two actually have to deal with her because of your closeness with Wonder Boy."

Before Hermione could open her mouth to reply to her friend's statement, Ginny Weasley burst through the door of the sixth year girls' dormitory. She quickly slammed it with the weigh of her body, panting furiously as she sunk to the floor hopelessly.

"Ginny!" Hermione rushed to the sweat-drenched Quidditch player. "You look terrible!"

Abigail walked across the room to where the other girl girls were. "If you think that this is a way to sneak into Ronald's heart, you've got it backwards; you're gonna sneak your way under his skin if he finds out how you're talking to his little sister-."

"Abigail, now is not the time!" Hermione scolded. "Ginny, what happened?"

"Yeah… did you forget where your dorm was?" Abigail asked, crossing her arms across her chest. "Or is there a reason you ran up to our dorm looking the way you do?"

Ginny continued to pant as Hermione helped her to the nearest bed. The redhead shook her head as she looked toward Abigail with a frown.

"Quidditch practice wasn't exactly a walk in the park," the fifth year rubbed her hand across her face roughly. "But that was _nothing _compared to the hell we were greeted with in the common room…"

Abigail leaned against her bedpost as Hermione took a seat beside Ginny.

"What happened, Ginny?" Hermione asked once more.

Again, Ginny brought her hands to her face. She groaned loudly as she tried to recall the past couple of events. The Weasley told the older girls about how Harry's train of thought had been derailed for all of their practice time, causing so much friction between the entire team.

"While he was calling out commands left and right, he meant the opposite of what he was saying!" Ginny complained. "And it wasn't like we could do the opposite of what he asked, because then he would go berserk!"

She also told them how, after Quidditch practice, she and Ron decided to take Harry to the kitchens. Apparently, the Weasley siblings had hoped it would clear their captain's thoughts.

"It worked," continued the redhead, "until we got to the common room! Caitlyn gave him a tongue lashing when she saw the three of us come in. Ron and I only stayed for a couple of minutes before rushing to our dorms."

"… but you're in _our _dorm," Abigail stated.

Ginny nodded. "I had to tell Hermione…" the fifth year student turned to the brunette beside her. "You've got to do something about her; she's insane!"

Hermione glanced at Abigail before looking back at Ginny. With a shrug, she sighed, "Ginny, I've been trying… but it's not like we can just swoop in and tell him that he needs to dump her."

"Just outta curiosity, Weasley," Abigail began, "why was the demon spawn freaking out when she saw Wonder Boy?"

"I guess she wasn't too happy that Harry took a detour from the common room after practice… especially since I was there," Ginny replied. "Hermione, you _have _to do something about Caitlyn!"

Hermione shut her eyes tightly, rubbing her temples gently. "Ginny, it's not that easy. Ronald and I have tried, remember? Loads of times, in fact! Caitlyn never lets Harry out of her sight though…"

Abigail watched Hermione fidget around beside Ginny; she sensed that Hermione was growing more and more stressful just thinking about Caitlyn and all the possible ways to get rid of her. She sighed, empathizing with her best friend. Abigail also watched as Ginny continued to stare Hermione down, as if hoping for an answer to just fall from the sky. Sighing, the blonde tapped Ginny's shoulder.

"Weasley, how about you go get some rest in your dorm for now?" Abigail suggested. "I'll go get you if Hermione comes up with something, yeah?"

Ginny nodded. "Thanks, Crenshaw…" she said softly. "I'll see you two later then."

Pushing herself off the bed, Ginny slowly dragged herself out of the sixth year girls' dormitory. As the door shut behind her, Hermione groaned loudly in frustration.

"Abs, what am I going to do? I told Ron that we had to refrain from intervening," Hermione explained, "unless Ginny spoke up to say something about it."

Abigail scratched the back of her neck. What did Ginny have anything to do with Caitlyn? The blonde nodded slowly, gesturing Hermione to continue explaining.

"We figured that Ginny was always the most patient with Caitlyn. Caitlyn found out about Ginny's crush on Harry all those years ago," she confessed. "While she never actually said anything _to _Ginny, she always went out of her way to make Harry regret being around her. And even beyond that, Ginny was always the most patient with Caitlyn. Ron couldn't stand her the moment we met her… same with myself. And while I don't actually _hate _her, there's just something about her that irritates me. Ginny, on the other hand, she's has _always_ been so tolerant of Caitlyn we both figured that-."

"You thought that if you had someone else's say on the matter… it would justify your dislike for Caitlyn," Abigail finished. "And – in your eyes – it helps that Ginny is almost as close to Harry as you and Ron are, right? Not to mention the fact that Caitlyn has actually made it known that Ginny is one of the reasons for her petty squabbles with Harry…"

"Exactly!" Hermione remarked. "This is why you're my best friend!"

Laughing, Abigail shrugged. "Well, now Ginny's on your side, right? What's stopping you from doing anything?"

Hermione exhaled in defeat. "Caitlyn never lets Harry out of her sight…"

Abigail eyed Hermione worriedly. While she would never have to deal with Caitlyn at the level Ron and Hermione might have, she understood their pain nonetheless. Having a friend with an insufferable significant other was a universal feeling, Abigail told herself mentally. But if that was the case, then this should be easy, right?

"That's why you have to get to Harry let Caitlyn out of his sight."

* * *

**\- author's note -**

**[written]:** _March 12, 2014  
_**[****published****]:** _March 12, 2014  
_**[last updated]:**_ April 15, 2016  
_**[word count****]:**_ 1,675 words without a/n_

**[MV COMMENT****]: **when i originally republished this on the twelfth of april, i didn't realize that i had just uploaded the _original/unedited_ version of chapter two! my apologies on that, you wonderful people. i hadn't realized it until i triple-checked the mistaken word count, not realizing i wasn't accounting for the edits that were made, but not notated. again, i'm sorry! anyways, as usual, i would very much like to thank you all for reading this installment of _operation: potential breakup_. please don't forget to leave a review to let me know how y'all are liking the story! see you in the next chapter, loves. ~ **xoxo, mv.**


	3. Chapter 3

Abigail shrugged as Hermione stared back at her in confusion. What was so hard to understand about what she said? It should not have been that hard; maybe Hermione was having trouble understanding _how _to get him how to do that, she thought. Letting out a sigh, Abigail crossed her arms and leaned against the bedpost – something she seemed to be doing a lot lately.

"Perplexed, much?" Abigail said with another sigh. "It makes perfect sense, you know. If she never lets him out of her sight, then you just have to wait for Harry to let her out of his."

Hermione continued to gape at her in speechlessness. Rolling her eyes once more, Abigail pushed herself off the bedpost and marched to where Hermione was sitting. She took the brunette's hand, pulling her off the bed.

"Follow me," she told the dazed Gryffindor.

Releasing Hermione's hand, Abigail creaked the dormitory door open and slipped through the opening. She tiptoed down the staircase as they quickly approached the Gryffindor Common Room. Abigail turned to Hermione with a frown; she could hear the shrill bellows of the Potter-Moore spat; however, by the sound of it all, the quarrel was more of a one-sided screaming match – just like all of their other fights.

And just like all of their other fights, Caitlyn was the reigning champion.

"Can you believe her?" Hermione hissed in a low whisper. "The nerve of this girl!"

Abigail shrugged as she continued to creep down the steps. "What do you expect, Hermione?" she whispered back, peering into the common room to spy on the scene. "It's Caitlyn Moore. She's been like this since we were younger."

Still furtively observing the squabble, Abigail inhaled deeply. The couple was much too distracted with their ongoing shouting to even notice anyone else, but Abigail knew better than to just waltz across the common room to get to where she needed to go. As Abigail learned from her previous encounters with Caitlyn and Harry, the two of them easily detected motion; even if she were to crawl across the room, the lovebirds would notice and she would fall prey to their screaming deathmatch.

Abigail folded her arms against her chest, feeling the hand-me-down wand she had received after her mother's death. Smirking, she pulled it out of her robe pocket and pointed it at the glass flower vase at the edge of the table.

"_Locomotor vase_!" she said quietly as she flicked her wand at her target.

Slowly, the glass vase began to rise from the table, which was not too far from Harry and Caitlyn. However, just as the vase began to rise, Abigail speedily shoved her wand back into her pocket, causing the vase to smash to the floor, shattering it into tinier glass chips.

Just as Abigail had planned, Harry and Caitlyn turned their attention to the shattered vase that was only a few feet away from them. Immediately, Abigail grabbed hold of Hermione's wrist and dashed to the staircase across from them. The two friends rushed up the stairs to the sixth years' boy dormitory.

Knocking on the door in a rushed fashion, Abigail pushed the door open before she could hear a response from behind it. She let go of Hermione's wrist when the two of them were within the walls of the dorm. Slamming the door, she turned to face the boys, all whom were staring open-mouthed at the girls.

"What?" Abigail smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "We're only here to speak with Weasley, so the rest of you can go back to whatever it is you were doing."

Hermione and Abigail walked across the boys' dorm as Ron continued to gawk at them in awe. He fumbled about his bed, trying to get on his feet to meet them halfway.

"What're you doing here, Hermione?" he asked. "And who's she?"

"Name's Abigail," the girl said, looking up at the much taller boy. "And since you're one of Hermione's favorite people at this school, you can call me Abs. We're here to talk to you about the demon spawn of the underworld."

Ron put his hand out for Abigail to shake. Once she accepted the handshake, his eyes moved around the room nervously. The lanky redhead let go of Abigail's hand, leaned closer toward the two girls and whispered, "What did Caitlyn do to you?"

As Hermione's eyes widened, Abigail snickered feverishly. This was the second Weasley to get her nickname for Caitlyn, but this one didn't need any other context to know it was Caitlyn. The blonde smirked and crossed her arms once again.

"I see why you like him, Granger," Abigail said, nodding toward Ron. "He's clever."

Hermione glared at her friend before turning back to Ron. "Is there some place more private we can talk?" she asked, looking at the all the boys that surrounded them. "I don't want word to get out about this."

Ron and Abigail exchanged a mischievous look with each other. Soon Ron mirrored Abigail's signature smirk and crossed his arms. He nodded her way and waited for the blonde girl to respond.

Abigail nodded back, her smirk growing. She turned to Hermione and shook her head. "Hey!" she called as her voice rang through the boys' dorm. "Be honest, it's not like he's around. I swear on my mother's grave that these two won't rat you out and neither will I, but… ummm, do you guys actually like Caitlyn Moore?"

The sixth year boys' dormitory fell dead silent after Abigail's question. They all looked at each other in shock before glancing back at the blonde in the center of their dormitory. While some one of them grinned at the sight at Abigail, others the other two stared at her in confusion. Abigail sighed; she knew there was only one other question that crossed their minds.

"And for those of you that care to know," she droned in boredom, "I'm Abigail Crenshaw. We've only gone to school together for like six years now. Just give us an honest answer. We promise: whatever's stated here stays with between us."

Again, Abigail's voice was followed by a dumbfounded muteness. It was one thing for some of the boys from her own house to not know her, she figured that much, but for them not to know Caitlyn Moore… that was something else.

"Skin's like porcelain. Perfect brown hair," Abigail thought about the things that would make Caitlyn stand out to all the boys. "Wears the cutest clothes. Accessorizes flawlessly. She's the heart-stopping, jaw-dropping double take…?"

Still nothing from the boys as Abigail continued to describe the girl she despised. She whirled around to face to a crestfallen Ron and a scowling Hermione. Then she scratched the back of her neck, feeling the awkwardness of what she had just done. Then again, maybe she wasn't doing it right…

Abigail stood in the middle of the dorm, thinking of other ways to possibly describe Caitlyn Moore to the rest of the boys. If commenting on Caitlyn this way did nothing for her, she knew she had to modify her depiction of her rivals to make it paint the perfect picture for the boys.

"Good at everything she does. Teacher's pet," Abigail started. "She's drop-dead gorgeous and you know she knows it. Her parents are loaded. Got a following – an entourage of copy queens, if you will. Sometimes she can really get to a person-."

The boys let out a roar of laughter as Abigail continued to speak. Hermione, Ron and Abigail looked at each other with uncertainty.

"What's so funny?" Hermione questioned baffled. "None of you responded before when Abs asked you all the question… why is it so hilarious now?"

"Granger," Seamus managed to say through his laughter, "we all know who she is. Who wouldn't? She practically runs the school!"

Neville nodded. "And now that she's dating Harry, _everyone _knows her."

"She's Gryffindor – if not Hogwarts – royalty," Dean remarked. "If Weasley is our King, she's the Empress!"

As clamorous chatter filled the room, the trio shared looks of worry once more. If the boys loved and adored Caitlyn the same way the rest of the school did, the three of them were in for a world of hurt; however, it wouldn't be just a vicious admonishment from Harry, it would be never-ending bullying from the rest of the house and possibly the school.

"She's alluring as hell!" Seamus confessed. "… _but _she's mad as a hatter she is."

At that statement, the jabbering noise of the room changed moods. Abigail could hear the tone go from loving and adoring to malicious and rancorous. She glanced at Neville, who gaped back at her embarrassed. The Gryffindor girl shrugged at him before shooting him a small smile of gratitude.

"As you can see," Dean said, "none of us like her. Why'd you ask?"

Hermione and Ron huddled closer together as Abigail spoke for the three of them. "We just wanted to see who else was on the same page as we were," she said, "but Hermione wanted reassurance that she and Ron weren't the only ones who didn't like Harry's girlfriend."

Seamus and Dean laughed while Neville scratched the back of his head. The three of them looked over to Hermione and Ron with faint smiles.

"We can't exactly speak for the rest of the school," Neville replied softly.

Dean nodded. "But we understand why you feel the way you do. Sharing a room with Potter has its drawbacks… Caitlyn Moore is one of them."

Hermione let out a notably tense laugh. "Oh thank goodness!" she cried, putting her hands to the sides of her face. "I would die if Harry knew how we felt before we told him ourselves."

"Still need a more private place to talk?" Ron wondered with a smile. "Or is this okay enough for you, Hermione?"

Dismissing herself from the conversation with the boys, Hermione nodded and agreed to the latter. She smiled, making her way to Ron's bed. Abigail followed suit and plopped herself on his bed as if it was her own. She sat with her back against the other boys as she leaned against the bedpost. As Hermione did the same, Ron rushed to sit near his pillow. The three of them looked at each other, unaware of where to start.

"It's safe to say that we all agree that Moore is the demon spawn," Ron chortled. "But was it necessary to come into my dorm to tell me thatall of this really necessary? I mean, yYou could've told me about Caitlyn in at dinnertime or something."

Hermione looked at Abigail with the same look of bewilderment Ron had. "_She _dragged me in her. She broke the glass vase in the common room just to get us here!"

Upon remembering what she had done, Abigail beamed at Hermione and Ron; she was proud of what she did, there was no use in denying that. She then fiddled with her long, red-coated nails. "Hermione told me that Caitlyn never lets Harry out of her sight," Abigail stated simply. "So I told her the perfect solution: get Harry to let Caitlyn out of his sight."

Almost in the same way Hermione had only a few minutes before, Ron stared at Abigail in wonder and awe.

"I see why you're friends with her, Hermione!" Ron commented. "She's bloody brilliant!"

"What?" Hermione was flabbergasted at Ron's statement.

Abigail shook her head in response to Hermione's outburst. She guessed that Hermione was surprised that Ron understood what was being said while Hermione was lost and confused at the idea. Rolling her eyes as she usually did, Abigail put her hand on Hermione shoulder.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Granger," teased Abigail. "Weasley and I are just on the same playing field when it comes to scheming."

Ron chuckled, "I don't understand what you didn't understand about what she said. It was pretty straightforward. Plus, knowing Harry, it'll be pretty easy."

"Care to explain?" Hermione scoffed in a huff. "Because I fail to see the logic of this plan."

"Simple," Ron said with a small shrug. "Caitlyn never lets Harry out of her sight, but Harry usually lets Caitlyn out of his."

"You're not making _any_ sense!" complained Hermione.

"For being dubbed the brightest witch our age," Abigail groaned, "you're pretty thick! Okay, look… Harry can't be alone with you guys because Caitlyn always seems to be around. But what about when she's with _her _friends? I'm sure she leaves Harry alone then, right?"

"Yeah," Ron replied, suddenly realizing the problem with Abigail's plan. "… but when that happens, we can never find Harry…"

"Damn," Abigail sighed. Her perfect plan had came gone out the window as soon as it wenthad come. "Okay… new plan."

"No!" Hermione finally exclaimed. "That's the only plan we've got; we're sticking to it! It can't be that hard to locate Harry when he's alone… we just have to go to extreme measures to find him in that state."

"Hermione, are you insane?" Abigail wondered. "No There is no way in hell are we going to be able to do that unless we stalk the living daylights out of that boy! What happens if he catches us in the act? Or worse, what if _she _does?"

Ron locked eyes with Hermione for only a moment before he caught on to what she was seemingly suggesting. "He'd know…" he muttered in a hushed voice.

"Doesn't seem to use it much nowadays," Hermione stated with a smirk. "And _we _don't have to be the one to do it."

Abigail's puzzled gaze moved with the to and fro of their conversation. She arched one eyebrow before staring off into space in more confusion. Crossing her legs as she rested her chin against her fist, Abigail tried to think of what Hermione and Ron were suggesting.

"Okay… I'm officially lost," Abigail complained. "What the bloody hell are you two talking about?"

Hermione leaned closer to Abigail and whispered in her ear, "Do you remember in our third year when I caught you in the library with Malfoy… even though you told me that you were going to spend the afternoon napping?"

Abigail nodded. "You always seemed to catch me when I was alone with him," grumbled the still confused Gryffindor. "I'm surprised you didn't figure out that it was him I asked to the ball before even with all that-."

"You always told me the two of you had just finished fighting!" Hermione rebuked. "That's besides the point… how do you think I always knew where you were?"

"… magic?" Abigail assumed that the answer wasn't as dumb as it sounded, considering they all went to Hogwarts.

Hermione grinned widely. "We used a map."

* * *

**-author's**** note-**

**[written]:** _March 23, 2014_  
**[published]: **_March 28, 2014  
_**[last updated]: **_December 3, 2014_  
**[word count]:** _2,469 words without a/n_


	4. Chapter 4

"Uh-huh…"

Abigail gaped at Hermione and Ron, a frown of incredulousness tugging at the ends of her mouth. She sat up, scratched the back of her neck nervously and nodded slowly.

"Oh c'mon!" Hermione raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, pleased with herself. "_Your _idea sounded more insane than this does."

Shifting her eyes from Ron to Hermione uneasily, Abigail continued to scratch the nape of her neck. She let out a sigh, bit her lip and forced an unconvincing smile Hermione's way.

"I mean I _guess_," Abigail shrugged, momentarily glancing at the empty bed beside Ron's. It must've been Harry's, she told herself. "But I haven't even _heard _your plan yet, Granger. You looked at Weasley and he read your mind!"

Both girls turned back to Ron, who was still contemplating the idea. From time to time, he would look at the girls and then back at his hands. Abigail watched as he repeated this pattern for a few more moments; she could sense the stress that was building within Ron's being.

"Hermione, we can't just take it. He would know," the redhead repeated silently.

Hermione groaned as she leaned forward, bringing herself closer to the lanky boy. "Ron, he hasn't used it in ages now!" she reasoned. "Not since he started dating Caitlyn last year…"

Wow, Abigail thought, it was almost a year since the time the _oh-so-loving_ couple started dating; it felt like centuries had passed since the two of them had started going out!

"But going against his trust?" Ron drew himself closer to Hermione, as if challenging her. "This is not how to handle it; we can't just take his stuff…"

"That's why Abs will take it!" Hermione motioned to Abigail, who was confused as ever.

Hermione looked at Ron with pleading eyes; this was their only chance to get rid of Caitlyn Moore and the more time they wasted, the less they had to get their plan going. Abigail sighed, still not understanding what Hermione and Ron were talking about; however, she did comprehend that whatever it was 1) involved her and 2) was going to potentially ruin the friendship of the Golden Trio if they were caught.

"Hermione!" Ron chided, giving her a look of disapproval. "I know that you want to get rid of Caitlyn, but putting Abigail in the line of fire is something else. What about Harry's trust in her-?"

"Harry and I aren't really even friends," Abigail stated with a shrug. "Look, I know this sounds really bad, but I'm willing to do whatever you guys need me to do. I can't afford to have this plan jeopardize a six year friendship, so I might as well do it myself, right?"

Hermione turned her head back to Ron. "See?" she replied, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back on the bedpost. "We wouldn't have to do anything!"

"But… we were the ones who thought of it," Ron murmured, looking back at the bed beside him. "I would feel guilty."

"Did you feel guilty last year when you accidentally pushed Caitlyn into the Black Lake?" Hermione readjusted her position on the bed as she flashed a huge, knowing grin Ron's way.

The redhead hung his head in shame. "No," he muttered lightly. "But that looked like an accident… this will look like a crime."

As Hermione stared sadly at Ron, Abigail shrugged once more as she scanned the rest of the room. The three other boys seemed to be minding their own business; she didn't want to disrupt them anymore than she had already. The blonde turned her gaze back to the two people she was with and frowned.

"That's why we just have to trust Hermione," she finally said, breaking the silence between the two. "If she said that Harry hasn't used it in about a year, there won't be a reason he'll be using it anytime soon, right? I still have no idea what this thing we're referring to is, but I'll take it. Besides, Weasley, it's only a crime if you get caught."

Ron's eyes widened as Abigail's statement. "Hermione, where did you find her?" he asked, shocked.

"In the girls' bathroom," Hermione looked at Abigail, smirked and then laughed, "during our first year. She came to comfort me after a certain someone made a couple of rude comments about me."

Abigail's eyes shifted in Ron's direction as he scratched the back of his head nervously. Trying to hold in her laughter, she watched as Ron's expression when from nervous to afraid. "Ron," she assured, "I'm not dangerous, I swear. I've just been dealing with Moore for a majority of my life, so I know how to maneuver my way through a sensible scheme. Trust me. Just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it."

Ron exchanged a glance with Hermione before looking back at Harry's bed. He turned to Abigail and nodded. "I… trust you."

Moving closer to Ron, Hermione motioned for Abigail to do the same. Once the three of them were huddled up together, Hermione began to formulate her plan.

"So Abs said that the best way to do this is to get Caitlyn out of Harry's sight. I figured since that is the easiest way to do this, we're going to need the map," Hermione whispered to her two friends. "Abs, before you go asking any questions, this map is more than just a map; it's a magical artifact that allows its user to see all of Hogwarts grounds."

"My brothers used to use it for a lot of their pranks," Ron added.

Abigail's eyes lit up. "Where's this map and how do I use it?"

Hermione shook her head. "Abigail, focus! We're not going to use the map to prank Caitlyn or anyone, for that matter. We're going to use it to locate Harry when he's alone."

"So you basically want me to stalk the Boy Wonder from afar," Abigail noted dully. "Geez, Hermione, thanks. I like him and all, but don't you think this is going a little too far?"

Ron lifted his head from the circle and looked at Abigail, tilting his head curiously. He raised an eyebrow at the blonde on his bed. "Wait, you like Harry?" he whispered.

Grabbing Ron's tie, Hermione pulled him back into the huddle. "Ronald, focus! Abigail's feelings for Harry, whether they be existent or not, don't matter right now. We need to focus on the plan! Okay, so here's what's going to happen: Abs, there's a blank, folded-up parchment in the trunk over there. Take it and I'll show you how to use it in the girls' dorm."

"He taught you how to use it!" Ron exclaimed, poking his head out of the circle once more. "That git!"

"Ronald, focus!" Hermione scolded again. "Harry did not teach me how to use it; it's something I learned from watching him. Now, will you please tone it down? I think the others are getting suspicious."

One look around the room and Ron smiled apprehensively before returning his attention to Hermione and Abigail.

"Okay, so that's it?" Abigail wondered. "I just have to find a way to sneak into Harry's trunk and grab a piece of parchment? Sounds easy enough. I'll sneak back up here when everyone's at dinner or something."

Hermione nodded. "Then I'll teach you how to use it," she repeated. "But now, let's discuss the rest of the matters. Our only goal is to stage an intervention; we need to open Harry's eyes to the toxicity of his relationship."

"And then we break them up!" Ron blurted out.

"Ronald!" Hermione glared at Ron, smacking the backside of his head. "That is _not _what we are going to do! We are simply going to hold an intervention for Harry when Caitlyn is not within reach and then we're going to hope that what we said will convince him that he's in a toxic relationship. From there, he can either do something to fix it or he can breakup with her."

Abigail and Ron glanced at each other. Then, the two of them looked at Hermione and sighed; a nod soon followed as Hermione cleared her throat.

"Now that that is out of the way," Hermione said, glancing at Abigail, "I want to be clear that the three of us cannot do anything to influence Harry's decision. We have to treat this like an intervention, not an interference!"

While Hermione droned on about her plan, Abigail stared at the trunk at the foot of Harry's bed. She sighed, thinking about all the possibilities that the plan could hold. She didn't understand why Hermione was treating it like such a mission if the only thing that needed to be done was get Harry away from Caitlyn; that was the easiest part, right? So why was Hermione going all "mission mode" on the whole thing?

There was the fact that it _was _such a mission to find Harry when he was alone, Abigail told herself, but seriously? Why was Hermione going as far as to having a completely thought out plan? Abigail continued think about Hermione's ability to become extremely enthusiastic when it came to plans. With another sigh, Abigail looked at her wristwatch.

"Hermione," she said, pulling away from the circle, "we should probably leave now if we don't want Potter to catch us in here. It's been a good amount of time since I broke the vase; knowing how their fights are, I think it's safe to assume that they'll be here any minute."

Hermione nodded. She, too, pulled away from the circle. Quickly, she and Abigail rushed out of the boys' dormitory and down to the common room, which was oddly empty.

"Where do you think they went?" Hermione asked.

Abigail rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Knowing that girl, probably to the Room of Requirements to conquer her prize for winning the fight."

Groaning, Hermione stepped over to the broken glass. "_Reparo_. Abs, do you think we're doing the right thing?"

As the broken vase pieced itself back together again, Abigail shrugged nonchalantly. If the plan went the way Hermione had hoped, then all would be well. It was made with good intentions in mind. The only thing "wrong" about all of it was that they would be stealing from Harry, Abigail reminded herself.

"We're only _borrowing_ it, Hermione," Abigail state, plopping herself on the couch. "Without his permission, yes, but you have the best intentions at heart…so it can't really be all that bad, right? I mean, all I'm going to do is signal you and Ron when the coast is clear… then the two of you can make you move and talk to Wonder Boy."

Hermione bit her lip. Thinking for a moment, she nodded and sat down in the armchair across from Abigail. "I hope this all goes well…" her voice trailed off as her gaze drifted from Abigail to the mended vase. "Because not everything can be fixed with a simple spell…"

* * *

**-author's**** note-**

**[written]:** _April 2, 2014_  
**[published]: **_April 2, 2014  
_**[last updated]: **_January 29, 2015_  
**[word count]:** _1,838 words without a/n_


	5. Chapter 5

"Uh-huh…"

Abigail gaped at Hermione and Ron, a frown of incredulousness tugging at the ends of her mouth. She sat up, scratched the back of her neck nervously and nodded slowly.

"Oh c'mon!" Hermione raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, pleased with herself. "_Your _idea sounded more insane than this does."

Shifting her eyes from Ron to Hermione uneasily, Abigail continued to scratch the nape of her neck. She let out a sigh, bit her lip and forced an unconvincing smile Hermione's way.

"I mean I _guess_," Abigail shrugged, momentarily glancing at the empty bed beside Ron's. It must've been Harry's, she told herself. "But I haven't even _heard _your plan yet, Granger. You looked at Weasley and he read your mind!"

Both girls turned back to Ron, who was still contemplating the idea. From time to time, he would look at the girls and then back at his hands. Abigail watched as he repeated this pattern for a few more moments; she could sense the stress that was building within Ron's being.

"Hermione, we can't just take it. He would know," the redhead repeated silently.

Hermione groaned as she leaned forward, bringing herself closer to the lanky boy. "Ron, he hasn't used it in ages now!" she reasoned. "Not since he started dating Caitlyn last year…"

Wow, Abigail thought, it was almost a year since the time the _oh-so-loving_ couple started dating; it felt like centuries had passed since the two of them had started going out!

"But going against his trust?" Ron drew himself closer to Hermione, as if challenging her. "This is not how to handle it; we can't just take his stuff…"

"That's why Abs will take it!" Hermione motioned to Abigail, who was confused as ever.

Hermione looked at Ron with pleading eyes; this was their only chance to get rid of Caitlyn Moore and the more time they wasted, the less they had to get their plan going. Abigail sighed, still not understanding what Hermione and Ron were talking about; however, she did comprehend that whatever it was 1) involved her and 2) was going to potentially ruin the friendship of the Golden Trio if they were caught.

"Hermione!" Ron chided, giving her a look of disapproval. "I know that you want to get rid of Caitlyn, but putting Abigail in the line of fire is something else. What about Harry's trust in her-?"

"Harry and I aren't really even friends," Abigail stated with a shrug. "Look, I know this sounds really bad, but I'm willing to do whatever you guys need me to do. I can't afford to have this plan jeopardize a six year friendship, so I might as well do it myself, right?"

Hermione turned her head back to Ron. "See?" she replied, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back on the bedpost. "We wouldn't have to do anything!"

"But… we were the ones who thought of it," Ron murmured, looking back at the bed beside him. "I would feel guilty."

"Did you feel guilty last year when you accidentally pushed Caitlyn into the Black Lake?" Hermione readjusted her position on the bed as she flashed a huge, knowing grin Ron's way.

The redhead hung his head in shame. "No," he muttered lightly. "But that looked like an accident… this will look like a crime."

As Hermione stared sadly at Ron, Abigail shrugged once more as she scanned the rest of the room. The three other boys seemed to be minding their own business; she didn't want to disrupt them anymore than she had already. The blonde turned her gaze back to the two people she was with and frowned.

"That's why we just have to trust Hermione," she finally said, breaking the silence between the two. "If she said that Harry hasn't used it in about a year, there won't be a reason he'll be using it anytime soon, right? I still have no idea what this thing we're referring to is, but I'll take it. Besides, Weasley, it's only a crime if you get caught."

Ron's eyes widened as Abigail's statement. "Hermione, where did you find her?" he asked, shocked.

"In the girls' bathroom," Hermione looked at Abigail, smirked and then laughed, "during our first year. She came to comfort me after a certain someone made a couple of rude comments about me."

Abigail's eyes shifted in Ron's direction as he scratched the back of his head nervously. Trying to hold in her laughter, she watched as Ron's expression when from nervous to afraid. "Ron," she assured, "I'm not dangerous, I swear. I've just been dealing with Moore for a majority of my life, so I know how to maneuver my way through a sensible scheme. Trust me. Just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it."

Ron exchanged a glance with Hermione before looking back at Harry's bed. He turned to Abigail and nodded. "I… trust you."

Moving closer to Ron, Hermione motioned for Abigail to do the same. Once the three of them were huddled up together, Hermione began to formulate her plan.

"So Abs said that the best way to do this is to get Caitlyn out of Harry's sight. I figured since that is the easiest way to do this, we're going to need the map," Hermione whispered to her two friends. "Abs, before you go asking any questions, this map is more than just a map; it's a magical artifact that allows its user to see all of Hogwarts grounds."

"My brothers used to use it for a lot of their pranks," Ron added.

Abigail's eyes lit up. "Where's this map and how do I use it?"

Hermione shook her head. "Abigail, focus! We're not going to use the map to prank Caitlyn or anyone, for that matter. We're going to use it to locate Harry when he's alone."

"So you basically want me to stalk the Boy Wonder from afar," Abigail noted dully. "Geez, Hermione, thanks. I like him and all, but don't you think this is going a little too far?"

Ron lifted his head from the circle and looked at Abigail, tilting his head curiously. He raised an eyebrow at the blonde on his bed. "Wait, you like Harry?" he whispered.

Grabbing Ron's tie, Hermione pulled him back into the huddle. "Ronald, focus! Abigail's feelings for Harry, whether they be existent or not, don't matter right now. We need to focus on the plan! Okay, so here's what's going to happen: Abs, there's a blank, folded-up parchment in the trunk over there. Take it and I'll show you how to use it in the girls' dorm."

"He taught you how to use it!" Ron exclaimed, poking his head out of the circle once more. "That git!"

"Ronald, focus!" Hermione scolded again. "Harry did not teach me how to use it; it's something I learned from watching him. Now, will you please tone it down? I think the others are getting suspicious."

One look around the room and Ron smiled apprehensively before returning his attention to Hermione and Abigail.

"Okay, so that's it?" Abigail wondered. "I just have to find a way to sneak into Harry's trunk and grab a piece of parchment? Sounds easy enough. I'll sneak back up here when everyone's at dinner or something."

Hermione nodded. "Then I'll teach you how to use it," she repeated. "But now, let's discuss the rest of the matters. Our only goal is to stage an intervention; we need to open Harry's eyes to the toxicity of his relationship."

"And then we break them up!" Ron blurted out.

"Ronald!" Hermione glared at Ron, smacking the backside of his head. "That is _not _what we are going to do! We are simply going to hold an intervention for Harry when Caitlyn is not within reach and then we're going to hope that what we said will convince him that he's in a toxic relationship. From there, he can either do something to fix it or he can breakup with her."

Abigail and Ron glanced at each other. Then, the two of them looked at Hermione and sighed; a nod soon followed as Hermione cleared her throat.

"Now that that is out of the way," Hermione said, glancing at Abigail, "I want to be clear that the three of us cannot do anything to influence Harry's decision. We have to treat this like an intervention, not an interference!"

While Hermione droned on about her plan, Abigail stared at the trunk at the foot of Harry's bed. She sighed, thinking about all the possibilities that the plan could hold. She didn't understand why Hermione was treating it like such a mission if the only thing that needed to be done was get Harry away from Caitlyn; that was the easiest part, right? So why was Hermione going all "mission mode" on the whole thing?

There was the fact that it _was _such a mission to find Harry when he was alone, Abigail told herself, but seriously? Why was Hermione going as far as to having a completely thought out plan? Abigail continued think about Hermione's ability to become extremely enthusiastic when it came to plans. With another sigh, Abigail looked at her wristwatch.

"Hermione," she said, pulling away from the circle, "we should probably leave now if we don't want Potter to catch us in here. It's been a good amount of time since I broke the vase; knowing how their fights are, I think it's safe to assume that they'll be here any minute."

Hermione nodded. She, too, pulled away from the circle. Quickly, she and Abigail rushed out of the boys' dormitory and down to the common room, which was oddly empty.

"Where do you think they went?" Hermione asked.

Abigail rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Knowing that girl, probably to the Room of Requirements to conquer her prize for winning the fight."

Groaning, Hermione stepped over to the broken glass. "_Reparo_. Abs, do you think we're doing the right thing?"

As the broken vase pieced itself back together again, Abigail shrugged nonchalantly. If the plan went the way Hermione had hoped, then all would be well. It was made with good intentions in mind. The only thing "wrong" about all of it was that they would be stealing from Harry, Abigail reminded herself.

"We're only _borrowing_ it, Hermione," Abigail state, plopping herself on the couch. "Without his permission, yes, but you have the best intentions at heart…so it can't really be all that bad, right? I mean, all I'm going to do is signal you and Ron when the coast is clear… then the two of you can make you move and talk to Wonder Boy."

Hermione bit her lip. Thinking for a moment, she nodded and sat down in the armchair across from Abigail. "I hope this all goes well…" her voice trailed off as her gaze drifted from Abigail to the mended vase. Slowly, but surely, dinnertime arrived. The Gryffindor Common Room was nearly empty by the time Hermione and Abigail reached the bottom step of the girls' dormitory.

Without exchanging any words between one another, Hermione and Abigail went their separate ways. The bushy-haired brunette strode across the vacant common room as Abigail weaved herself around the entire room, stalling in case any stragglers happened to walk by her.

Upon hearing a familiar giggle, Abigail quickly slipped past one of the end tables and plopped herself onto the armchair. She held her breath for a moment and closed her eyes tightly, praying that she would not fall prey to the she-devil. She balled her hands into fists, turning her pale knuckles whiter.

"Please do not notice me," she begged in a soft whisper. "Please, please, _please_…"

As the giggles faded, the sound of footsteps drew nearer and nearer to the lone Gryffindor. By the sound of it, Abigail could tell that Caitlyn was not alone.

"You see, I originally told Harry that we should go to the ball wearing a bright red color for House pride," Caitlyn explained to her flock of minions. She tossed her long, brown hair behind her left shoulder as she scanned the Gryffindor Common Room. Perhaps she was looking for her boyfriend, Abigail thought to herself as she glanced back at the gaggle of girls. "But then I remembered that Harry has this _exquisite_ dress robe in an emerald greenish color and I have a dress to match it!"

"Oooooh!" gushed Lavender Brown while the rest of the girls squealed in unison. "You two are going to be the center of attention at that ball!"

Abigail rolled her eyes as she sunk into the armchair, still unnoticed. "What's new?" she silently complained to herself.

"It's a marvelous idea, isn't it?" Caitlyn cooed. "I cannot _wait _for the masquerade!"

"Caitlyn," Parvati Patil asked, scratching the back of her head, "is there any particular reason we're all just standing around in the common room?"

Abigial smirked as she watched the fire in Caitlyn's eyes glow for a moment. She knew the question had ticked her off just a smidgen; from what Abigail remembered, Caitlyn was not used to having others challenge her actions. Abigail continued to watch as Caitlyn replied ten seconds after.

"Oh," remarked the brunette, quasi-sweetly. "I was just checking to see if Harry was down here already… but then I remembered he's out holding Quidditch try-outs right now with Ronald. Let's go meet them in the Great Hall; I'm sure they're there by now."

With that, the trio of girls disappeared one by one through the portrait hole. Abigail let out a sigh of relief the moment the last of the girls was gone. She could not believe that none of the girls noticed her; she was sitting in plain sight!

"Phew," sighed Abigail happily, pushing herself off the armchair.

She slowly made her way over to the entryway of the boys' dormitories. Exhaling nervously, Abigail told herself that this little mission she had planned was nothing to worry about. She reminded herself that she _offered_ to do this for Hermione and Ron. But why was she so agitated about a plan that she hadn't even come up with? Maybe because it might've led to a disastrous falling out amongst the Golden Trio if she was caught, she thought to herself.

As she drowned herself in her thoughts, Abigail bumped into the lanky redhead she had only formally met a couple of hours ago.

"Ron," she exclaimed as she and Ron fell to the ground, "I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's my own fault!" he replied, jumping up from the common room floor.

Abigail smiled up as Ron extended his hand to her. Taking it politely, she pulled herself off the ground. She frowned slightly as a thought crossed her mind once more.

"Wait a sec," she paused to think for another moment. Abigail stared at the redhead before her, perplexed beyond all reason. "Moore said you and Potter were holding Quidditch tryouts… she even told her duo of dummies that you two would meet with them in the Great Hall!"

Ron laughed and shook his head. "We're pretty set with our team members as of right now; we held Quidditch trials at the beginning of the season," explained the tall, skinny red-haired boy. "Moore was probably trying to cover up the fact that she and Harry are still fighting."

Still? Abigail was shocked to hear that. The Potter-Moore bouts usually had a specific regimen that started with Caitlyn picking fights with Harry (primarily out of boredom) and end with Harry apologizing for doing whatever he was accused of doing… even if he was totally innocent. Had Harry not apologized this time? Or had Caitlyn just not accepted his apology?

"Well… then," Abigail stuttered out. "I assumed that when Hermione and I came down from your dorm, the happy couple was in the Room of Requirement together… doing sinful things to each other…"

Gagging slightly, Ron rolled his eyes playfully at Abigail. "I'd honestly rather have them doing that there than in the bed next to me!"

"Understandable," Abigail replied, disgusted at the thought that Harry and Caitlyn actually might have done unspeakable things to each other in the bed directly adjacent to poor Ron's. "Thank Merlin that Potter can't get up to our dorm!"

Ron nodded and pointed nonchalantly at the portrait hole. "Well, I'm gonna head to the Great Hall for dinner," he said. "I'll leave now, so you still have time for dinner yourself, Abs. Remember, the map will be in his trunk. You'll know it when you see it; it's entirely blank."

Though she still was not entirely sure of how the map worked, Abigail nodded. She glanced back at the portrait hole and smiled slightly; she was finally confident that this task would be easy to complete and that she would come back from the boys' dormitory without getting caught.

"I won't disappoint you," she murmured as Ron made his way out of the common room.

Without wasting another moment, Abigail raced up the stairs to the sixth year boys' dorm. Slowly, she pushed the door ajar as she peeked her head into the room, checking if the coast was actually clear; not a single person in sight – _perfect_!

Abigail slipped through the slightly opened door, closing it behind her. She scanned her surroundings as she tried locating Harry's bed once more. The blonde quickly crept over to Harry trunk, pulling out her wand in the process.

"_Alohomora_!" she pointed her wand toward the locked truck. The bright blue light that spewed from Abigail's wand directly hit the lock on Harry's trunk. Abigail's heart raced happily as she watched the lock drop to the floor. "That was easy enough…"

Carefully, Abigail knelt down beside the trunk, grabbing the lock and placing it in her pocket. She lifted the lid delicately, trying to avoid moving anything out of place. She poked her head above the trunk, only using her eyes to search for the blank piece of parchment.

"Bingo!" she exclaimed when she found something sticking out of one of Harry's pants pockets. Upon pulling out the tattered and torn piece of parchment, Abigail examined it, thinking about all the wonders that simple piece of paper held. Unfolding it gently, the light in her eyes dulled out. "'_To my dearest Caitlyn…_' Yuck!"

That was no map, Abigail thought in realization; that was a love letter to Caitlyn from Harry! Refolding it hurriedly, Abigail groaned as she shoved the letter back into the pants pocket. The Gryffindor girl rolled her eyes and bit her bottom lip as she grew more and more impatient with her task. How hard was it supposed to be to find this stupid map?

Abigail thought for a moment. Was there something she was missing? Hermione said that Harry had not used the map since he and Caitlyn started dating. Assuming that he had used it heavily before, it was safe to also assume that he had gotten rid of it altogether. Maybe, Abigail contemplated, Harry had given up his lifetime of sneakiness and mischief for the sake of Caitlyn Moore.

Laughing to herself, Abigail shook her head. The idea was completely bogus! Harry Potter could not have possibly given up his old ways just for the sake of his new girlfriend, right? Maybe Abigail wasn't even looking in the right place; perhaps Harry had removed the map from his trunk to prevent theft.

Or maybe, Harry had forgotten about the map entirely…?

Whatever the reason, Abigail did not stop herself from reaching back into the trunk to feel around for the map. She was only skimming the surface of the trunk after all; it was possible that the map could have been buried beneath Harry's folded stacks of clothes.

After ten minutes of struggling to find the blank map, Abigail withdrew her hand from Harry's now untidy trunk. _Nothing_. There was absolutely nothing of value to her in the trunk. The map was nowhere to be found! As a matter of fact, the only parchment Abigail was able to find was the love letter for Caitlyn.

Bringing her wand out once more, Abigail pointed the hand-me-down toward the messy trunk and muttered a spell that would restore the contents of the trunk back to their original state. She watched as the clothes folded themselves before shutting the trunk tightly. Removing the lock from her pocket, Abigail slapped it back on the trunk.

"_Colloportus_!"

With a flick of her wand, the lock locked itself and it was as though Abigail was never there. She smiled smugly to herself as she turned to exit the dorm. Although she would return to Hermione and Ron empty-handed, Abigail was still very satisfied with herself for being able to cover her tracks.

"It's like I wasn't even here," she laughed to herself, slowly making her way to the door.

Just then, the wooden door was flung open. Abigail's heart dropped as panic began to fill her mind. How was she supposed to explain herself to whoever threw the door open? She couldn't lie and say she was looking for someone; it was common knowledge that everyone would probably be at dinner. She obviously could not say that she was waiting for someone; then it would probably be pointed out that she could wait in the common room. Abigail quickly ran a nervous hand through her hair. What was she going to do?

As the mystery person walked through the doorway, Abigail's heart stopped. Her knees buckled as she looked into the unmistakably emerald green eyes of the Boy Who Lived. She inhaled sharply, scolding herself for not trying to hide in the first place.

Abigail continued to stare as Harry's eyes widened in surprise. He probably was not expecting to find anyone – much less Abigail Crenshaw, the Hogwarts nobody– in his dorm. The blonde shot the raven-haired boy a weak smile.

"Hey, Harry Potter," she managed to muster up, her hand now scratching the back of her head nervously.

Harry raised an eyebrow suspiciously at the girl before him. He shut the dormitory door behind him as he made his way slowly over to Abigail. His green eyes looked up and down at the other Gryffindor as if trying to decide if she was friend or foe.

"Hi…?" he replied equally apprehensive as Abigail. "Have we met?"

The smile on Abigail's face disappeared quickly at the sound of Harry's words. She could feel her heart breaking slowly as she nodded nonchalantly, still scratching the back of her head. She let out a short sigh of frustration before she continued to nod.

"We have?" he asked her, shocked and worried.

Mentally slapping herself in the face, Abigail shook her head, snapping herself out of the trance she had been in. She wasn't allowed to be feeling that way, she reminded herself. After all, it was understood why she would know his name; he was the Boy Who Lived, for Merlin's sake! She and Harry had never had an extensive conversation outside of the classroom; they didn't even have extensive conversation _in _the classroom. She really couldn't expect him to know her name, right?

"Oh, no… I'm sorry," she muttered with a small smile. Abigail finally brought her hand away from the back of her head as she shoved her sweaty palms into her pants pockets. She looked at the floor below her as let her eyes wander from her feet to Harry's. "I'll be going now…"

Abigail made a beeline for the exit, but Harry was faster. He gently reached for her left wrist, stopping her for getting any further.

"Hang on a sec," said Harry warily. "What are you doing in here all by yourself?"

Abigail's eyes widened as she scanned the room, looking for an excuse to give Harry. She was doomed at this point; Abigail knew she was at a loss for an alibi!

"That is an excellent question…" she mumbled nervously.

* * *

**-author's**** note-**

**[written]:** _June 25, 2014_  
**[published]: **_June 26, 2014  
_**[last updated]: **_January 30, 2015_  
**[word count]:** _4,008 words without a/n_


	6. Chapter 6

Abigail watched Harry nod slowly; his gaze on her grew more and more bemused with every bob. She smiled skittishly as she scratched the back of her neck carefully. The butterflies in her stomach became more violent with each passing second. What was she going to say? What _could _she say?

"So… er… are you going to answer it?" Harry pressed politely, forcing a nervous laugh.

Biting her bottom lip gently, Abigail took a deep breath. It was now or never, she told herself over and over again. Her eyes locked with Harry's before she noticed that he was still holding her wrist. The knots in her stomach worsened at the sight! Harry James Potter – the boy of her dreams – was still (_technically_) holding her hand… she was doomed for thinking she could sweet-talk her way out of this one. She scolded herself mentally for thinking she could even _talk _at all!

"Well, Harry Potter," Abigail choked out, still scratching the nape of her neck. She knew she needed to come up with an explanation that did not raise more questions, but was that possible? "Ya'see, I was… I left…"

Harry's bewildered stare did not falter as Abigail attempted to lie her way out of his grasp. Though she adored being held by Harry, Abigail had hoped they would be holding hands in a _different _way and under _different _circumstances. And while Harry continued to grip her left wrist, Abigail went on scratching the back of her neck with her free hand.

"I was up here earlier," she replied. "And I…. left my wand on Ronald's bed."

Great, she thought to herself immediately, now she would have to explain what she was even doing on Ron's bed in the first place! She watched as Harry's face twist in more confusion; Abigail could feel the stress inside of her build up as he dropped her wrist.

"Oh," Harry sighed, sending Abigail a half-smile.

Abigail knew that, although he was still confused, Harry really couldn't prove her wrong; in fact, she wasn't exactly _lying_ to him, right? She had been in Harry's dorm earlier. And she had sat on Ron's bed while she had been there! … but Abigail would _never _leave her wand lying around. Ever.

"Sorry about the hostility," Harry sighed sincerely. "It's been a _long _day."

Abigail rolled her eyes, not doubting Harry's statement for a moment. She sent him an understanding smile before shrugging nonchalantly. "Hey, shouldn't you be at dinner?" she asked, a lot less nervous than she had been before. "I was just about to head down to the Great Hall myself; we could walk there together if you'd like!"

Where was this perky personality coming from? Abigail was shocked to hear the words escape her lips – _especially_ in the tone in which they came out. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach getting worse and worse. And though she hated to admit it, Abigail actually liked feeling this way.

Harry let out another sad sigh, dragging himself past Abigail. Plopping himself on his own bed belly-first, he groaned. "I would love to," his voice muffled through the thin sheets of his bed, "but I don't think my _girlfriend _would appreciate it."

Raising her eyebrows, Abigail smirked. So there _was_ trouble in paradise! Sure, she had heard it from Ron and Caitlyn, but now she was hearing it from Harry too! She inched her way toward Harry's bed, leaning against the corner of Ron's bed. With her sinister smirk growing wilder, Abigail watched as Harry fidgeted around in his bed.

Flipping on his back, Harry sat up to face Abigail; her smirk had quickly transformed into a concerned frown. He groaned once more, running a stressful hand through his messy head of hair. Harry sighed, shook his head and then looked up at Abigail.

"I didn't mean to blurt that out like that," he replied apologetically. "I just – it's been a _long _day."

Abigail nodded sympathetically. It had been quite a day, she told herself. From running into Caitlyn in her dormitory to failing to escape from the boys' dormitory, Abigail recounted the events of the day and applauded her efforts. How she hadn't collapsed into bed and slept through the rest of the day was a shock to her!

"I'm really am sorry," Harry said. "You probably think I'm a terrible boyfriend to my girlfriend now, don't you?"

Funny, a handful of people thought things were the _other _way around, Abigail thought to herself. Shrugging in reply to Harry, she pushed herself off the bedpost. Abigail now towered above the Boy Who Lived before sitting down beside him. She looked into his eyes and honestly replied, "Usually don't take sides in relationships – especially in relationships where I personally don't know both parties or their sides to the story… but I really think you're doing the best you can. And, to me, that's all that truly matters."

"At least someone thinks so," Abigail heard Harry mutter to himself. Had Harry Potter finally snapped? Was Caitlyn Moore's all-mighty reign coming to its end? Abigail broke away from Harry's gaze, letting her focus meander from one corner of the room to another. If all the answers to her question were 'yes', then she knew that the intervention Hermione and Ron planned would be easier than they all thought!

Abigail jumped off of Harry's canopy bed before shooting him a sincere smile. "On that note," she said, motioning toward the exit, "I'll be on my way."

Although she was enjoying Harry's company, her stomach was beginning to beg for any type of edibles. And rather than risk being with Harry when the uncontrollable growling began, Abigail figured she would spare herself the embarrassment. Smiling, she slowly made her way to the door.

"Wait!" Harry called out, grabbing for her hand once more. Abigail felt the knots in her stomach intensify. How many times was he going to do this before she could actually leave the room to swoon over his presence? "I don't even know your name."

The blonde Gryffindor slapped herself inwardly. She had spent their entire conversation calling him by name, and yet she hadn't even introduced herself to him! She had forgotten that he hadn't remembered her from their past encounters. Maybe she just needed to _remind_ him.

"Oh," she said effortlessly, bringing herself closer to Harry, "we've met before."

Abigail could see the panic unfolding from behind his emerald eyes. She began to wonder if that was a reflection of what was occurring in her own eyes or if Harry was panicking himself. Either way, Abigail could feel the awkwardness bloom from her statement.

Harry scratched the back of his head nervously. "We have?" he asked. If she could have knocked herself senseless, Abigail probably would have; she had already had this conversation with Harry earlier! Why was she starting it up again and _changing _the original reply? She would have hexed herself into oblivion if she could.

"Yes," she continued confidently with a wink. Where in Merlin's beard was this composed, flirty attitude coming from? "Once upon a dream…"

If she wanted to hex herself into oblivion before, Abigail wished she could just disappear off the face of the Wizarding World at this point. What was she even thinking when those words left her lips? That's right; she _wasn't _thinking!

However, she watched Harry's facial expression go from trepidation to calm. A smile tugged at the ends of his lips as he let out a heartfelt laugh. Great, Abigail scolded herself, he was probably laughing at her lame attempt to flirt with him. She shot him a nervous half-smile before staring at the floor below her.

"That's right!" Harry remarked.

Abigail's head snapped up – her eyes locking with Harry's. Had he actually understood her? He _wasn't _laughing _at _her?

"You were my partner in Divinations the day we studied dream interpretations," he laughed. "Abby, right? Abby Crenshaw?"

It was official: Abigail wanted to disappear into complete nothingness. _Abby. _He knew her as _Abby_? Things couldn't possibly get worse, could they? Abigail scratched the back of her neck before smiling at Harry.

"That's me!" she feigned satisfaction.

Harry let go of Abigail's wrist and nodded. "I remember you now," he said, delighted with himself. "You're also one of Caitlyn's friends, right? She mentions you from time to time."

Nope, things could get worse – and they already had. It did, however, explain why he knew her as Abby. Unfortunately for Abigail, it didn't make her hurt any less. And now he thought she and Caitlyn were actually _friends_? Just _perfect_! Still faking a smile, she stifled a forced laugh.

"All good things, I hope," she replied, folding her arms across her chest. Now she was curious though. What had been Caitlyn saying to Harry about her?

"Of course!" Harry replied. "She's mentioned you a couple of times, but it's usually just the same, old thing about how the two of you have known each other since you were kids. That's about it though."

Abigail groaned to herself. How was she a complete nobody when Caitlyn talked about her to other people? Unless, of course, she made her look like a helpless loser in all of the stories she told. That wasn't exactly unlike her to say things like that…

"Well, then," Abigail said. "I'll see you around, Wonder Boy."

Harry raised an eyebrow toward Abigail. Perhaps that nickname was only okay to use in his absence, she thought. That thought, however, had immediately left her mind the moment Harry shot her a genuine smile – as though thankful for the label.

"See ya, Abby."

Wincing internally, Abigail flashed Harry a fake smile and turned to walk out the boys' dorm. She had quite a story to report back to Hermione and Ron.

* * *

**-author's**** note-**

**[written]:** _July 19, 2014_  
**[published]: **_July 22, 2014  
_**[last updated]: **_January 30, 2015_  
**[word count]:** _1,636 words without a/n_


	7. Chapter 7

Once Abigail reached the grand doors of the Great Hall, she sucked in a quick breath, shutting her eyes and shaking her head slowly. She had gotten Harry to remember her, but at what cost? He did not see her as Abigail Crenshaw, Hermione Granger's best friend; no, the Boy Who Lived saw her as Caitlyn's childhood companion… as _Abby_.

In addition to the humiliation, Abigail had nothing to present to Hermione and Ron. Returning to her friends without the map was like showing up to class without completing the assignment – a feeling Abigail hated and one she knew all too well, despite being best friends with the brightest witch their age. She sighed to herself as she pushed through the double doors of the dining hall; the little mission had not been a _complete _failure, right? After all, she managed to get _some _information out of Harry Potter without even trying.

Abigail dragged herself along the aisle of the tables, lazily scoping the room for her bushy-haired best friend and the red-haired boy who accompanied her. Shortly after locating them, Abigail's eyes drifted from the Gryffindor table to the Slytherin one. She immediately locked eyes with her date to the masquerade. Draco was sitting with his usual gang: Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Pansy Parkinson and – much to Abigail's surprise – Blaise Zabini. Raising an eyebrow at her, the young Malfoy shot Abigail a concerned look to which she frowned and shook her head in reply. The two broke eye contact as Abigail plopped herself down beside Hermione.

"There she is," Ron said before shoveling a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth, "the girl who's going to help us help Harry."

Hermione giggled as she turned to look at Abigail. Dropping her utensils, she threw her arms around her best friend. "I cannot thank you enough for agreeing to this, Abs!" squealed Hermione.

With her hands trapped at her sides, Abigail did not return Hermione's tight embrace. She bit her lip nervously as she wriggled Hermione off her. Piling mountains of food on her plate, Abigail let out another sigh.

"Save your breath, guys," she muttered, taking a spoonful of casserole and shoving it grumpily into her mouth. "I couldn't find the map."

Hermione glanced at Ron in confusion. Then she turned back to Abigail, who continued to miserably guzzle down all the food on her plate. "Abs, what are you talking about? It should be in Harry's trunk; he hasn't touched it since last year!"

Abigail shrugged, poking at a lone pea on her plate. "Tell that to the map," she mumbled. "I tore through the contents of his trunk and I found nothing. I might've poked through his other belongings too, but he popped into the dorm unexpectedly…"

Ron and Hermione went wide eyes. Abigail could tell the same thought had probably crossed their minds at the mention of Harry. Rolling her eyes, Abigail used her fork to stab the steak on her plate.

"Don't worry," added Abigail. "Wonder Boy literally walked in right after I cleaned up the crime scene. He thinks I went in there because I left my wand on Ron's bed from earlier."

A wave of relief swept over Hermione and Ron's faces.

"I'm really sorry though, guys," Abigail said, letting her fork hit her half-empty plate. "I feel like I've failed you…"

Hermione let out a sigh, putting her hand on Abigail's back. "No, we just have to figure out how to do this without the map," she replied, shooting Ron a confused look. "I just don't understand where the map could be…"

"Maybe he moved its location randomly one day," Ron suggested. "It's not like one of us would know if he did, right?"

Abigail scoffed, "Moore would. That snake spends every waking hour with him."

At the mention of Caitlyn, Abigail noted that Hermione and Ron winced a little. With a short exhale, she muttered another apology about the map; regardless of what Hermione had said, she still felt like she had disappointed them somehow.

"True as that may be," Hermione stared up and down the Gryffindor dining table, "why was Harry up in his dorm when Caitlyn's over there with Lavender and Parvati?"

"Oh," Ron explained nonchalantly before taking in another spoonful of food, "Harry and Caitlyn's row from earlier was never actually resolved. Harry came into the dorms about an hour after the two of you left and he was downright miserable! But before I could get a word outta him, he decided to take a walk around the castle or something."

Abigail's thoughts drifted back to the short time she shared with Harry Potter. It was nerve-racking, eye opening and blissful… up until the last few moments. But what bothered Abigail the most – other than the Abby thing – was what Harry had said about Caitlyn. Was Moore really giving him such a hard time that he was starting to beat himself up about it? Abigail wanted to help, but what help could she offer to him without stirring up drama with Caitlyn?

"What do you want, Malfoy?" sneered Ron, tearing Abigail away from her own thoughts.

Abigail turned to see the Slytherin boy standing behind her and Hermione. Draco crossed his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes at Ron's greeting – if anyone could even call it that. "Stow it, Weasley," Draco hissed in replied. "I'm not here for petty arguments tonight; I'm here for Crenshaw."

Ron scoffed as the blood rushed to Abigail's cheeks. She hadn't even completely explained to Hermione the relationship she shared with Draco! She had just met Ron and he seemed to like her from the looks of it; Abigail knew that adding Draco Malfoy to the mix of things was really pushing it.

"Why would Abigail want to be involved with the likes-?"

Before Ron could finish, Abigail shot him a weak smile as she gently nudged Hermione. She quietly excused herself from the scene, bidding her goodbyes to her two friends. Though she received a confused look from Ron and a look of slight disapproval from Hermione, Abigail stood from her seat. As she turned to exit the Great Hall, she motioned Draco to follow her closely. Luckily for Abigail, no one else seemed to notice anything that happened – then again, why would they?

"Hanging out with Weasley too now, aye?" Draco mocked as he and Abigail slipped into a small, empty broom closet on the first floor. "I tolerated your friendship with the Mudblood, but Weasel-bee? You're really pushing my patience here, Abs."

Abigail rolled her eyes at Draco before she shoved him lightly. "Do _not_ call her that!" she scolded. "Your little Slytherin posse isn't around; you're not impressing anyone with your petty name-calling, Draco."

"But still, Abigail, Weasley?" Draco questioned as he inspected under his fingernails for any signs of dirt. He pressed his back against the wall nearest Abigail, forcing her to scoot aside to allow him room. "Your sense of judgment has gone to the dogs!"

"I suppose it has," remarked Abigail, shooting Draco a death glare, "considering the fact that I have allowed myself to be in a broom closest with the likes of you, you cowardly snake!"

Draco rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Oooh, not very friendly," he jeered. "Your littler Gryffindor posse isn't around; you're not impressing anyone with your petty name-calling, Abigail."

Great, Abigail thought, he was using her own words against her. She stiffened, straightening herself to her full height… but even then she was still shorter than Draco, who now still leaned lazily against the wall. "Your so-called group of friends isn't any bigger in numbers than mine, Malfoy," retorted Abigail thinking of the other Slytherins Draco seemed to frequently be around.

"Is that so, Crenshaw?" Draco sneered. "What? Have you gone completely mental and allowed Saint Potter and his sinful sweetheart to join your band of Gryffindors-?"

The glare Abigail shot at Draco was enough to shut the Slytherin up. Right now, the last person she wanted to hear about was the despicable Caitlyn Moore. The idea of the girl hadn't crossed Abigail's mind too much while she was wallowing in her own sorrows, but now that Draco had mentioned it…. Abigail wanted to rid Wizarding World – or maybe even the world in general – of the she-demon.

"Or not…" Draco added quietly, pushing himself off of the wall. "What's the matter, Crenshaw? The Potter-Moore relationship getting too much for you to handle? I saw that look you shot me in the Great Hall; obviously, things are not getting better for you-."

"I shot you _no _look, Malfoy!" Abigail defended. "_You _shot me the look!"

He rolled his eyes once more, towering over her as he stood up straight. "A look to which you responded, Abigail; if I remember correctly, you frowned at me and shook your head."

"I wouldn't have done that if Harry hadn't called me 'Abby'!" Abigail shouted without thinking. The memory resurfaced her thoughts and she could feel herself drowning in her distant past. Shutting her eyes, she tried to drown out the past.

Draco's eyes widened, shocked at what he was hearing. "He _didn't_," Draco said, quickly taking the shorter girl by the shoulders. When he received no reply whatsoever from the Gryffindor, the platinum blonde sighed and brought her a little closer to him, pulling Abigail into a tight, protective hug. "How the bloody hell does he know you by _that_ name?"

In the same way that Draco was the only person to ever see her vulnerable side, Abigail was the only person he would openly express (to a certain degree, at least) his fondness for her and his protective nature. Shrugging, Abigail brought her hands to Draco's chest and immediately buried her head within the wrinkles of Draco's Slytherin robes. She groaned miserably as she felt Draco's hold on her loosen.

"Hey, look at me, Abs," he said gently, bringing fingers to her chin and lifting it so they could see eye to eye. "You're going to be fine, okay? You-."

"Draco!" Abigail shouted, pushing him away roughly. "No, I won't be fine! I can barely stand it when Caitlyn calls me 'Abby', but to have people calling me that on a regular basis, not knowing its origin – no!"

Draco rolled his eyes. Despite how broken Abigail seemed to be, the Slytherin knew very well of how over-dramatic she could become when it was just the two of them. He took a step another step away from Abigail, giving her as much space as he assumed she needed; Draco did not want a repeat of their last emotional encounter…

"Oh, stow it, Crenshaw," Draco coolly hissed at her. "It's not like all of Hogwarts has gone out of their way to mock you with that nickname; it's just Potter. And besides, you said it yourself: even if they did start calling you Abby, they wouldn't know the origin!"

"But _I _would, Draco, I would!" Abigail cried out. "You live a perfect life with your perfect family in your perfect manor. Perfect, perfect, perfect! Caitlyn never had a reason to mock you-."

A small smirk tugged at the end of Draco's lip. "She used to make fun of my hair. The only ones free of her torture were Blaise and Pansy! Blaise because she was infatuated with the bloke and Pansy because she scares the shite out of Moore."

"But you changed your hairstyle!" Abigail remarked. "After third year, she stopped going out of her way to say stupid things about how dumb your hair looked. But she'll _never _stop with me. With me, there's always _something_…"

Draco glanced down at Abigail with a small frown. It was as though she was purposely looking at the negative side of the situation! What happened to the Abigail he knew growing up – the little girl who tried to look for the good in everything and everyone? What happened to the Gryffindor girl he had fallen for all those years ago?

"If you say so…" he muttered with a quick sigh, crossing his arms. "So… what are we wearing to the ball?"

Abigail looked up at Draco with a look of disbelief. Had he not heard her little spiel? Or was he just choosing to ignore her? Could the Slytherin boy not see how broken she felt anymore? What had happened to the sympathetic child she once knew – the childhood friend she would play with in her backyard? Where did the Draco Malfoy she once dated go?

"The dance is the last thing on my mind right now, Malfoy!" Abigail straightened her posture and refused to make eye contact with Draco. One minute he was holding her in his arms, the way he used to… and the next, he was concerned over affairs as petty as the school's masquerade! But then again… she was the one who had over-reacted in the first place… "I'm surprised you even had the guts to ask me to this year's ball considering the little stunt you pulled at the Yule Ball!"

"You haven't changed _one _bit, Crenshaw!" Rolling his eyes, Draco thought back to the scene in the library two years ago. "And if I must remind you, it was _you _who wanted to keep our relationship a secret! Forgive me for wanting to respect your wishes!"

"You didn't have to ask that Beauxbatons girl!"

The young Malfoy bit his tongue. He knew better than to reference anything from his past – especially the dark mystery of his relationship with Abigail. He shook his head as if hoping his thoughts would disappear from his mind.

"If it's any consolation to you," Draco said coolly, "she threw pumpkin juice in my face after Pansy had a nice little _chat _with her."

"You bloody deserved it," Abigail murmured, staring down at the floor beneath her.

And there it was, Draco told himself, the infamous pout of Abigail Crenshaw. There was something still bothering her. But she _refused _to listen to reason! How could anyone change her mind about the matter? It wasn't like Draco could just march up into the Gryffindor Common Room and explain to Potter the history between Abigail and Caitlyn, right? No, the idea itself was simply absurd!

"You'll live, Abs," he whispered to Abigail, pulling her into another tight hug. "You lived when she taunted you when we were younger. And you'll live now… because you've got Granger and Weasley on your side this time…"

Shutting her eyes, Abigail took a deep breath. There he was – the Draco she knew and loved. Smiling, Abigail returned the hug. "Thank you, Draco. I've missed this…"

Draco continued to stare down at Abigail with his signature smirk. "So have I, Abs. So have I."

* * *

"You're friends with Malfoy?" Ron exclaimed. He, Hermione and Abigail were now sitting in the privacy of the Gryffindor Common Room. They had arrived a lot later than the other students, so by now, the common room was clearing out. In fact, the common room was oddly empty. "Are you mental?"

"Not completely," muttered the blonde to the lanky redhead, fiddling with the ends of her hair. "Look, Ron, as I explained to Hermione this afternoon: the Malfoys are very good friends with my father. After my mother passed away, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy helped my father with his grieving. Draco and I are even going to the Masquerade Ball together."

"Nope! That's it: you're _completely _mental, Abigail!" remarked Ron with disbelief in his eyes. "Hermione, tell her she's mental!"

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded from the squishy armchair. "Take that back! If Abigail sees the good in Malfoy, who are we to judge? I mean… he and his family aren't exactly… well… they aren't _that _bad? Oh, who am I trying to kid? Abigail, the Malfoys are just terrible."

Abigail found herself staring blankly at the fire that danced in the fireplace. The last thing she wanted to have to hear was a lecture about the Malfoys. Rolling her eyes, she glanced back at Hermione and Ron who continued to go on and on about the wretchedness of the pureblood family.

"I get it!" she hissed at the duo. "They're not all that good, okay? But if you could just stay out of my personal affairs for now… I thought we were banding together to help your friend get out of his toxic relationship… so could we please try to focus on that?"

Hermione and Ron muttered their apologies to Abigail solemnly.

"That map was supposed to be in his truck," Hermione thought back to their conversation at dinner. "He hasn't touched it since he started dating Caitlyn. I think the last time he even bothered with it was last year during our DA meetings!"

Abigail scratched the back of her head with a frown. "You're saying that the map just sprouted legs and hopped out of his trunk? Hermione, even in the Wizarding World, that sounds insane!"

"What if someone took it?" Ron blurted out.

* * *

**-author's**** note-**

**[written]:** _October 21, 2014_  
**[published]: **_October 21, 2014  
_**[last updated]: **_January 30, 2015_  
**[word count]:** _2,840 words without a/n_


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione and Abigail stared intently at the youngest male Weasley with a confused frown. He continued to explain his theory thoroughly once more. In his mind, the idea that someone would break into Harry's personal belongings seemed a bit farfetched, but then again, he and Hermione had just sent Abigail to attempt it only a few hours ago. The redheaded teenager sighed as he turned his attention back to the glow from the fireplace. Even if someone took it, how could they even be sure about all the facts?

"Who would even want to take it, Ron?" Hermione found herself in complete disbelief at Ron's suggestion. She thought about the possible perpetrators, but immediately dismissed her initial theories for the obvious reason. "Even if someone did take it, how did they know about the map? Or even how to use it?"

Ron shrugged, turning his attention back to the two girls that sat around him. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out how to use it, Hermione; my brothers figured it out…"

Shooting her close friend a look of disapproval, Hermione scoffed, "Honestly, Ronald, give your brothers some credit. First of all, if someone took the map, how did they know about it? Even if they knew how it functioned, how would they know how to access the needed information? Why would Harry tell them without even telling one of us?"

Abigail sat in silence as the two friends continued to discuss all of the possibilities. While the young witch felt lost when she tried to dive into the conversation, she couldn't help but drown in her own thought process. If someone took the map, they would have to have known about it and its function. Assuming they knew all of that, Hermione mentioned how they would have to know how to access the information, which meant there was more to just obtaining the magical artifact than it seemed. But Hermione seemed to be finding it hard to believe that someone even took the map to begin with; however, Ron, having been the one to even propose the idea, was fully on board.

Abigail was torn.

On one hand, she knew Hermione had a point. On the other, she couldn't quite come up with any other explanation as to where the map had gone. The primary question remained: if someone took the map, who would have done it?

Propping her elbow upon the armrest of the loveseat, Abigail groaned and turned her gaze to the staircase to the boys' dormitories. She thought back to her encounter with Harry. Why was what he said to her such a bother? She had already put a lot of thought into the things Harry had said to her, from the childhood nickname to the less than endearing things he had told her about Caitlyn.

Caitlyn.

Wait… _Caitlyn_!

"Guys," Abigail blurt out, "what if Caitlyn took the map?"

The two friends stopped their bickering to gape at Abigail in bewilderment. Well, she thought to herself with a smile, this isn't the first time I've gotten that look today. Hermione eyed Abigail suspiciously while Ron began to nervously scratch the back of his neck as the shine in his eyes disappeared. Did they not believe her?

"What?" Abigail threw her arms in the air in disbelief. "It wouldn't be the first time she's taken something that belonged to someone else!"

With a concerned sighed, Hermione shot Ron a brief look of helplessness. Abigail could sense that, once again, the two of them were thinking the same thoughts.

"Abs," said the brunette calmly, not making eye contact with her friend, "I understand that you and Caitlyn have a… _history_… but maybe she's not to blame for this one."

"Yeah," Ron replied quietly, averting his gaze quickly to the floor beneath him. "It is possible that Harry just… _moved _it. I mean, I get that she's bad news, but I don't think she would go as far as taking the map away from Harry."

Biting her tongue before she said anything stupid, Abigail glared down at the floor. Did her friends really think that there was so much bad blood between her and Caitlyn that she would just throw in an accusation like that? She sighed and thought for a moment. Was she being petty about their past? Or was her accusation reasonable?

"Well, tell me," Abigail said slightly vexed, "what exactly does the map do? Why is it so important that we have this bloody thing?"

Ron and Hermione's eyes met. They thought the function of the map had been clear. Scooting herself toward the edge of the armchair, Hermione motioned for Abigail to follow suit as Ron kept a lookout for any potential eavesdroppers.

"The map we were trying to take from Harry's trunk," she explained to Abigail, "is what has been dubbed the Marauder's Map. It was created back when Professor Lupin went to Hogwarts; he and his friends – one of which happened to be Harry's father – created the map-."

Abigail, still irritated with Hermione and Ron's disbelief in her statement, crossed her arms across her chest and huffed. "Granger, there's a point in all of this," she snipped. "_Get to it_."

Hermione bit her lip nervously; she knew why Abigail was slightly annoyed. Sighing to herself, she continued, "The map shows all of Hogwarts grounds – including secret passageways."

Rolling her eyes, Abigail shot Hermione and Ron a look of boredom. Did they not already tell her this? All she could gather was that this magical map showed the entire grounds of Hogwarts _and _that the Weasley Twins used it for their ingenious pranks. The only new detail she got out of Hermione's little lesson was that Professor Lupin and his Hogwarts friends made it. Oh, and that Harry's father was one of the creators! But that could hardly be considered an important detail to the map, Abigail told herself.

"I figured that much already…" Abigail muttered.

Ron looked at Hermione with a look of desperation. Why did she always been to go into excessive details when it came to giving out information? Why couldn't she just – for once – be normal about it and just _answer _the question? He rolled his eyes as well before plopping himself onto the coffee table between Hermione and Abigail.

"Look, what Hermione _fails _to acknowledge every time we mention the map," Ron grumbled in a hushed tone, "is that it not only shows you every inch of Hogwarts grounds… it shows you everybody on the grounds and their exact location and what they're doing."

Abigail eyes lit up. "_Wicked_…" she whispered to herself in amazement. It was no wonder why the Weasley Twins were so skilled at the element of surprise and pranks. It was also no wonder as to why Harry, Hermione and Ron always managed to be at the right place and the right time… or just the opposite. "I still think that Caitlyn took it."

Hermione and Ron exchanged another fleeting glace. There was no way in convincing Abigail otherwise it seemed.

"But what is this crap that you said about how to access the information?" Abigail wondered. "Is there like a password to get it to work? You said it was a blank parchment… how the hell does that work?"

"Magic?" Ron said dumbly.

Hermione let out a sigh. "I've learned from years of careful observation of Harry that there is a certain phrase that you have to utter in order to get the map to reveal itself," the bright girl explained to her two friends.

"And that would be…?" Ron wondered as Abigail's gaze drifted back to the staircase of the boys' dorms.

Staring curiously at Ron as though he should have known the phrase by now, Hermione thought back to all the times in the past in which Harry had ever used the map. "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_," she recited from memory. Hermione looked toward Abigail, who had once again checked herself out of the conversation. "But, of course, there are words that conceal the map's content after you get it to reveal itself to you."

Ron's eyes lit up. "_Mischief managed!_" he said with a smile. "We've cracked the case!"

Abigail rolled her eyes once more. "I hardly think we've figured out where his map went," she mumbled to herself. "So this map tells you where someone is… and you two have told me that you can't ever hold interventions with Harry because…"

"Oh, that's because Caitlyn always barges in on us," Ron stated matter-of-factly. "It's like she knew where we were before we knew what to do about it."

Abigail shot her friends an all-knowing look. If they didn't believe her before, they would have to believe her now, right?

Wrong.

Hermione and Ron shot each other the same look from before.

"Abigail… look I understand that you don't like her and I understand that you really like Harry," Hermione tried, "but Caitlyn isn't always the villain in these types of thing. Perhaps all of your accusations are just based around the fact that everything between the two of you is a competition."

Abigail pursed her lips tightly. She knew that she wasn't wrong; her gut feeling was telling her that Caitlyn took the damn map. Why couldn't her friends see that too? What was their problem? She shook her head and sent Hermione an all-too-familiar look of disapproval. Dismissing herself from the conversation, Abigail stood.

"Abs," Hermione sighed, knowing the damaged she had done, "I didn't mean it like that-."

By now, Abigail was already halfway to the girls' staircase. She paused before turning around to face her two friends with a smile that did not reach her eyes. "Look," Abigail said firmly, "you're right. Maybe I'm just bringing in my past with Caitlyn. I'm turning in early since I missed out on that nap from earlier… it's been a _long _day."

"G'night, Abigail!" Ron replied with a huge grin. "It was really nice to meet you!"

Abigail gave Ron a curt nod. She shot him a genuine smile despite her current state of mind. "It was a pleasure to meet you too," she chirped uncharacteristically. "Hermione has talked nonstop about you since the day she and I met; it's nice to have finally the famous Ronald Weasley she speaks so highly of."

With that, Abigail shot a wink toward Hermione, who stood behind Ron completely mortified at everything that her best friend had just said. All the color in Hermione's face as Abigail turned around, the smirk on her face growing. She waved her friends goodbye and raced up the stairs, attempting to avoid any more interaction with the duo.

"The nerve!" the blonde muttered under her breath. "Not everything is a battle between me and Caitlyn!"

Was it such a crime that she hated Caitlyn and all that she was? Was it such a crime that she was just listening to her gut feeling about Caitlyn? After all, it only _made _sense for her to accuse Caitlyn. What other options did they have? Caitlyn never let Harry out of her sight. In the times that she had, she _always _knew where to find the boy. Merlin's beard! Harry and Caitlyn had been dating for some time now; Abigail could only assume there were to be no secrets kept between the two of them – the map included. Why _wouldn't _Harry have told Caitlyn? He seemed like the reasonable boyfriend would who cater to the evil princess's needs.

Abigail violently shoved the door to her dormitory open. Her eyes darted around the darkened room. It seemed as though the other girls had already fallen asleep. A thought crept into Abigail's thoughts as she tiptoed past Parvati's bed.

She slipped her hand into the back pocket of her pants. Encasing her fingers around the hand-me-down wand once more, she slowly pulled her wand out and brought it close to her face. "_Lumos_!" whispered the now smirking girl.

Abigail continued to tiptoe about the girl's dorm. Her bed was only a couple of feet away, but sleep was suddenly the last thing on her mind. She was determined – determined to prove to Hermione and Ron that the two of them were wrong about her and Caitlyn. Abigail needed to uncover the part of Caitlyn that Hermione and Ron seemed to be blind to. But how?

"Only one way to find out," Abigail told herself as she crept slowly toward Caitlyn's bedside.

With her free hand, Abigail cradled the tip of her wand, trying to soften the harsh rays of light being produced. The last thing she wanted to do was wake someone up in the process of trying to dethrone the Gryffindor Goddess. Rolling her eyes at the thought, Abigail scoffed as she approached the end table beside Caitlyn's bed. She had somehow managed to turn the small hunk of wood into a miniscule vanity that mirrored the one she had back at the Moore Mansion. Abigail remembered her trip to the Moore Mansion from her childhood. And like everything involving Caitlyn from her past, Abigail _hated _it.

Abigail knelt down adjacent to the imitation vanity and traced her fingertip along the edge of the wood. All of her hope in this so-called mission relied on the contents of the end table drawer. Looking up at the sleeping girl that was only a couple of inches away from where Abigail was, the snooping girl lowered her wand and quietly tugged at the handle of the drawer. It slid open with ease!

Perfect, Abigail thought to herself. The only thing she had to do now was find the map. She reminded herself that the map would be a blank piece of paper that revealed its content with a simple phrase. If she could pin Caitlyn with the theft of Harry Potter's magical map, then Hermione and Ron would _have _to take her side on the matter! Plus, they would have to apologize to Abigail.

She looked into the open compartment and noticed the neatly stacked love letters on one side. The rest of the drawer was filled with little knick-knacks that Abigail assumed had sentimental value to Caitlyn. There was a complete set of tiny vials pushed to the very back of the drawer; Abigail's eye widened as realization dawned on her. Those potions weren't just _any _potions; they were the _contraceptive _kind.

Abigail turned her attention back to sleeping Caitlyn Moore. There was a scowl on the blonde's face. If looks could kill, she told herself. "You haven't changed one bit," Abigail sneered before turning back to open drawer. At least Caitlyn was being smart about it, she reasoned with herself.

Then, her eyes landed on the very thing she believed she had been searching for: a blank parchment. Quickly, Abigail threw it onto the surface of the end table. She shut the drawer as fast as she could and then brought her wand to the parchment, the tip of her wand grazing the surface of the blank parchment.

"_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_," she said in a hushed tone. Abigail could barely contain the happiness she was feeling. She was a step closer to unveiling Caitlyn Moore as the monster she truly was. Abigail watched the parchment reveal its true form.

But nothing happened.

The entire time, the parchment had remained blank. No, Abigail whined, that couldn't be right! This stupid parchment just _had _to be the map! It was her last real chance to prove that Caitlyn didn't trust Harry and that she herself could not be trusted. Well… it was the only chance that fate had provided her with – and she was very willing to take that chance. But now what? The magic words weren't working.

Wait, but were there not another set of words? Perhaps, Abigail thought hopefully, she had mixed up the phrases. There was still hope! She tapped her wand toward the piece of parchment once more.

"_Mischief managed._"

Still nothing! Abigail had decided that she had said the words in the correct order to begin with… maybe she had been wrong about Caitlyn. Maybe her gut feeling was wrong…

Lazily, Abigail slipped the parchment back into Caitlyn's makeshift vanity. She had to make it look like she was never there, right? This time – unlike earlier – she didn't really care if she had gotten caught. All of a sudden the flicker of hope that once glowed within her had finally gone out. Was there really a point in trying to prove anything about Caitlyn anymore?

The rest of the school thought that Caitlyn was a saint, which made her all the more perfect for Harry Potter. Abigail's words against Caitlyn's were nothing. And it seemed as though the only thing Hermione and Ron sided on with her about Caitlyn was centered around the Potter-Moore relationship; in anything else, however, Abigail stood alone…

* * *

The next morning, Abigail awoke to an empty dormitory – a sight she had grown very accustomed to since her first year at Hogwarts. The young witch was notorious for sleeping in, regardless of what time she put herself to sleep. There was just something comforting about those extra minutes of sleep that others tended to deprive themselves of; well, that and Abigail was never a morning person.

Yawning to herself, she glanced at Caitlyn's vanity once more. How could she have been so wrong about her? She thought of the possibilities of Caitlyn putting the parchment somewhere else other than the vanity. The thought was immediately counteracted when Abigail reminded herself that Caitlyn liked to keep _everything _she needed within arm's reach. It was probably the number one reason she clung onto Harry for dear life.

Abigail crawled out of bed sluggishly. She figured that she still had a couple of minutes before she needed to be downstairs for breakfast. If she had been late, Hermione would have come running into the dorm to fetch her anyways. The blonde pulled her hair together and tied it to create a low ponytail. Rubbing her eyes with the end of her long sleeves, Abigail popped her trunk open. She grabbed her school uniform and slipped into it – not caring if one of the other girls walked in on her changing.

Once she had completely changed out of her pajamas, Abigail threw her Gryffindor tie around her neck and raced down the steps to the Gryffindor Common Room. She had expected to run into Hermione or Ron; however, Abigail was not greeted with her usual "good morning" from her best friend.

Instead, she was greeted with a head-on collision.

"Oomph!" she remarked as her bottom hit the floor roughly. Abigail's hands immediately flung themselves to the pocket of her robes, checking to see if her wand was all right. She could have cared less if she had broken a bone or two, just so long as her wand was still intact.

"I am so sorry!" said a voice above her.

Abigail looked up at the Gryffindor who towered over her with a smile. "Ronald, we really need to stop running into each other like this!"

Ron laughed, thinking back to the day before and how he and Abigail had had a similar run-in. "Yeah," the redhead chuckled, "I was just waiting for Hermione; Harry's still upstairs."

"Avoiding Caitlyn like the plague I see," Abigail said with a smirk and a small giggle. "And Hermione's not up there, Ron. I was actually expecting her to be down here with you."

"She's probably already down in the Great Hall," Ron said. "Wanna walk there together?"

Abigail found herself looking past Ron and at the entrance of the boys' dorms. If she walked to the Great Hall with Ron, she would miss a great opportunity to talk to Harry. However, if she decided against going with Ron, she would have to face the awkwardness of walking into the Great Hall with Caitlyn's boyfriend.

"Sure!" Abigail remarked quickly, her Gryffindor tie still dangling around her neck. She and Ron slowly made their way out of the common room together and made their descent to the Great Hall. "I am starving more than usual!"

Ron shrugged. "Well, you hardly ate anything last night," he replied shortly. "Malfoy dragged you away before you even finished spooning food onto your plate."

"Remind me to hex him into oblivion later," Abigail laughed, putting a hand on her grumbling stomach. "He knows better than to interrupt feeding time."

Abigail sensed that the topic of Draco Malfoy seemed to be a sensitive one. She willed herself to shut up; after all, she had begged Hermione and Ron to drop the subject, the least she could do was the same.

Her thoughts of Draco led her to the happenings of the broom closet. She never answered his question. What were they wearing to the ball? She knew what Caitlyn and Harry were wearing, but what would she be wearing? Abigail groaned at the thought; why was she even thinking these girlish thoughts to begin with?

"Ron, who are you going to the ball with?" Abigail asked as they approached the doors of the Great Hall. "You already know who I'm going with."

Looking at Abigail sheepishly, Ron laughed anxiously as he scanned the Great Hall quickly. "I haven't actually asked anyone yet…" he admitted to Abigail.

"Was there someone you had in mind?" she pressed calmly as the two of them scouted the table for Hermione. She looked up and down the aisles, but for some reason, could not locate her best friend. Hermione couldn't have ben mad her, Abigail thought herself, could she? After all, wasn't _she _the victim in this? Hermione and Ron sided against her, so – if anything – Abigail should have been the one avoiding Hermione! "Where is that girl?"

Ron shrugged. "Well, there is someone," he said sheepishly. The blood began to rush to his cheeks. "But… it's not like I stood a chance with her anyways. Last time I asked her, she flipped out on me-."

"And went to the Yule Ball with the famous Bulgarian Quidditch player, Viktor Krum," said Abigail with a smirk. Ron shot her a surprised look as though she wasn't supposed to know about that little incident. Not making even meeting Ron's eyes and continuing to search for the bushy-haired brunette, Abigail laughed, "You forget that Hermione is my best friend; best friends tell each other everything."

Before Ron could reply to the shorter girl, he and Abigail came face to face with Draco Malfoy.

"What do you want now, Malfoy?" Ron said, stepping in front of Abigail protectively.

Draco rolled his eyes in boredom. "I don't have time to deal with the likes of you right now, Weasel-bee. I just want to talk to Crenshaw-."

"Anything you have to say to her, you can say to me," Ron barked, attracting the attention of nearby students. Luckily, Abigail thought, Ron was not attracting too much attention. If that happened, one of the teachers would surely get involved.

Letting out a sigh of annoyance, Draco shot Abigail a look of helplessness. "Fine," he grunted. "Granger needs you, Crenshaw. I suppose you'll suffice as well, Weasley-."

"What did you do to her?" screamed the redhead, nearly tackling Draco to the ground.

Abigail immediately jumped into action and put herself between the Slytherin and her fellow Gryffindor. "Whoa there, boys!" she remarked, grabbing both of them by their House ties. "If you two cannot play nicely, you two will not be permitted to play at all."

Tightening her grip on their ties, Abigail began to drag the two taller boys out of the Great Hall with her. Her stomach grumbled and groaned, but now she had to figure out where Hermione was… and by the looks of it, only Draco knew what was going on.

Once out of the Great Hall, Abigail continued to pull her two friends up a flight of stairs. Draco and Ron were both appalled in Abigail's sudden act of dominance; where di she get off acting like this?

Abigail pressed her back against one of the unlocked doors, revealing an empty classroom. Instantaneously, she threw the boys into the room before slamming the door shut. The two boys lost their balance and fell to the ground in front of Abigail.

"Malfoy," Abigail demanded, "what do you know? Spill _now_."

Draco stared up at Abigail. Helping himself up, he brushed the imaginary dust off himself as he glared at his date to the upcoming ball. "If our parents weren't good friends," he snarled, "I swear I would have already thrown you into the Forbidden Forest and left you for dead during our third year."

Rolling her eyes, Abigail took at step toward the young Malfoy. If he was going to play the parent card, she could too! "And I would have rejected your offer to go to the dance," she stated, her glare intensifying. It was as though all the anger from their past was suddenly resurfacing. In fact, Abigail was so wrapped up in her anger, she had forgotten the real reason she had dragged Draco and Ron into an empty classroom! She had even forgotten about Ron! "You know it's not too late for me to make you go to the ball by yourself!"

Ron cleared his throat in an attempt to catch the attention of the squabbling couple. It didn't seem to work.

"Go ahead," Draco pressed. "I could _easily _find another date to the dance!"

"Fine!" Abigail shouted. "Find another date! See if I care!"

Draco clenched his fist tightly. He shut his eyes and willed himself to stop the argument before it got any worse. The last thing he wanted to do was start another two-year war between Abigail and himself. "Abigail, I didn't come here to fight with you," he muttered. "Actually, I didn't want to come here at all… you _dragged _me up here _with Weasley_… but Granger needs you right now."

"What happened to her?" Ron finally spoke up. "What did you do to her?"

"I did nothing," said the Slytherin with a small frown. "It's just history repeating itself."

At Draco's words, Abigail's head jerked toward the direction of her ex-boyfriend. What was he talking about? She eyed Draco carefully, hoping to read his expression properly. When his icy eyes met hers, she immediately understood what had happened.

"Ron, we have to find Hermione," she stated, shutting her eyes tightly. She could feel the tears threatening to spill, but she would not let them. There was no way in hell Abigail was going to let Draco _and _Ron see her cry. "I think it would be better if you went looking for her on your own though, Ron… there's not much help I can offer her."

"What? Why?" Ron stood his ground. Abigail had just told him that best friends tell each other everything. He assumed that being best friends also meant being able to _do_ everything for the other person… but why was she sending him on this solo mission to help _her _best friend?

"This is a matter only someone from the Golden Trio can fix," she sighed sadly, the ends of her lips tugging downward into a frown. Ron nodded, darting out of the classroom as quickly as he could. "I'm just Abby…"

* * *

**-author's**** note-**

**[written]:** _October 23, 2014_  
**[published]: **_October 24, 2014  
_**[last updated]: **_January 30, 2015_  
**[word count]:** _4,570 words without a/n_


	9. Chapter 9

It happened all too suddenly. Abigail could feel herself drowning in the memories of her not so distant past. She felt like she was thirteen years old again. All the troubles of her third year resurfaced; her budding relationship with Draco Malfoy, her childhood best friend; her sudden attraction to Harry Potter, her House's hero; the escape of Azkaban prisoner, Sirius Black; and the significant falling out between Hermione and Ron, that allowed Abigail more time with her best friend than she ever thought possible.

Abigail seemed to be getting younger and younger with every passing thought. And the younger she got, the more her problems involved Caitlyn.

She had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she did not seem to notice the sudden presence beside her. Still engulfed in her thoughts, Abigail shut her eyes and pressed her hands to her face roughly.

"I'm right here, Abs. Come back to me," Draco said calmly, kneeling before her hunched over form.

The blonde snapped herself back to reality at the sound of Draco's soothing voice. She was no longer standing, like she had been when Ron raced off; Abigail found herself sitting on the floor, balled up tightly with her back against the cold stone wall. She felt the sting in her eyes and her chest as she looked up at Draco.

"She did it again, didn't she?" Abigail whispered hoarsely, pulling her legs closer to her – if that was even possible. "She destroyed a friendship."

Draco let out a defeated sigh. His eyes shot a downcast glance to the floor beneath them. Bringing his hand to her cheek, the young wizard stared back into the eyes of his ex; he could not bring it in himself to tell her the scene he witnessed in the Great Hall. The vivid memory of his own past with Caitlyn was much too painful to even think of remembering.

"I can't say I know exactly what went on between Granger and Moore," replied Draco finally, "but Granger was on her way to the Great Hall in tears. And, of course, who would come and stop her? Moore seemed to know exactly why she was crying, but Granger wanted absolutely nothing to do with Potter's girl. It was as though she _knew_ Moore had something to do with the reason for her tears."

Abigail watched as Draco allowed himself to sit beside her. The two of them sat in silence, recalling their past with the all-mighty Caitlyn Moore. It made Abigail shudder to think about what kind of damage Caitlyn had managed to inflict upon Hogwarts's most famous trio. More importantly, _how _had she done it?

Draco and Abigail sat on the floor together with a frowns on their faces. Wrapping a comforting arm around Abigail, Draco let out a frustrated groan. The more he thought about his past with Caitlyn, the more he realized that he had practically come out of it unscathed while Abigail was still broken and bruised by the outcome. He pushed himself off the ground and knelt before the Gryffindor girl. Taking her the tie around her neck, he smiled.

"I see you still haven't learned how to tie this blasted thing," he teased, tying it for Abigail.

The Gryffindor shot a death glare at the young Malfoy before pushing him playfully. "I didn't exactly think it was that important to learn," she retorted, her stress melting away almost instantly. "You were always there to tie it for me."

"Do you mean to tell me that you haven't untied this since we broke up?" Draco wondered, draping the newly fastened tie around Abigail's neck. Carefully, he adjusted the House tie to properly fit Abigail.

Abigail let out a small chuckle before looking down at her Gryffindor tie. She could feel her cheeks reddening as Draco began to laugh at her embarrassment. "Yes," she squeaked. "I didn't want to ask Hermione to help me with it everyday."

"You realize there were easier solutions than having to ask Granger, right?"

Abigail rolled her eyes as she and Draco helped each other get to their feet. "Drake, if you're implying that we shouldn't have broken up," she groaned, "I think you need to reevaluate our past-."

"Oh for the love of Merlin!" Draco remarked with a smirk. "That was the furthest thing from my mind, Abs. "

"Then what the hell were you trying to-."

"You could have just as easily learned how to tie it yourself," he stated, his smirk widening. "In fact, Abigail, you're a witch; a simple spell would have done the trick if you ask me."

"Well, I didn't ask you," she retorted, childishly sticking her tongue out at Draco.

Rolling his eyes, Draco shot her a playful smile. Perhaps there was hope for their friendship to blossom from the ashes. Perhaps they could _all _forget the incident with Caitlyn. Perhaps someday… but the Slytherin knew that until that day, he would just have to deal with his secret meetings with Abigail.

Suddenly, a loud growl erupted from Abigail's direction. The young Malfoy howled with laughter.

"I'm hungry," blurted out Abigail, her cheeks reddening more. "I blame you for this, you bloody ferret. If you hadn't whisked me away last night, I would have had a full meal!"

Draco continued to let out a hearty laugh. "How could I forget the most basic rule of being friends with you? '_Never interrupt Abigail during feeding time'_."

"Exactly," said the Gryffindor, blowing another raspberry the platinum blonde's way. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some food to partake in."

* * *

After excusing herself from the empty classroom with Draco, Abigail made her way to the Great Hall. Hermione and Ron were still nowhere to be found. The blonde Gryffindor assumed that her two friends were most likely in the Gryffindor Common Room. Where else could the two of them have taken refuge? Despite the absence of her two friends, Abigail also noticed that the certain demon spawn was not present at the Gryffindor table either.

"You're up early," snickered a familiar voice. "Well, by your own standards."

Smirking, Abigail turned to see the round spectacles of the Boy Who Lived. She noted that his hair was more unruly than usual, his scar buried behind his jet-black hair. Plopping herself unceremoniously onto the seat across Harry, the blond-haired sixteen year old shot him a toothy smile.

"Why, just last night, you barely remembered me," Abigail commented, looking around the Gryffindor dining table. There seemed to be a couple of younger students scattered around the front half of the table, but by the looks of it the only of sixth years present at the Gryffindor table were Harry, Abigail, Dean and Seamus. "And now, all of a sudden, you know me well enough to know my habits? Bloody hell, Potter, what are you playing at?"

Harry shook his head, chuckling as Abigail hurriedly spooned piles of food onto her plate. "I'm not playing anything," he replied. "After our run-in last night, I just got to thinking about the other possible times I might've seen you around the castle. You spend a lot of your time with Hermione, don't you?"

Her crystal blue gaze focused on the food in front of her, rather than the schoolgirl crush. Abigail nodded, shoveling a spoonful of potatoes into her mouth. "Hermimee's mah bufst frem."

Eyes wide, Harry sat frozen with his goblet barely touching his lips. He stared at Abigail in sheer confusion. Slowly, he put the water-filled goblet back onto the surface of the table and scratched the side of his head. The Boy Who Lived intently watched as the blonde Gryffindor continued to stuff her face with potatoes, eggs and – occasionally – a dripping spoonful of Pixie Puffs; it was a different experience, honestly.

"I'm sorry," he with a small forced laugh. "Could you repeat that…?"

As if her earlier encounter with Draco hadn't been embarrassing enough, Abigail clumsily dropped her spoon into her bowl of cereal, milk splattering onto the wooden surface of the table. After quickly swallowing her food, Abigail let her mouth fall open slightly; she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as her heart pounded violently within her chest. Had she really just spoken to her infatuation of three years with a mouth full of food?

"I-I just said that, um," Abigail stammered as she poked at her food nervously with her fork, "that Hermione's my best friend!"

She could feel herself reddening just at the thought of what she had done. How in the name of Godric Gryffindor has she forgotten that she was in the presence of her crush? Scolding herself, Abigail brought her goblet to her lips, guzzling as much water as she could in an attempt to drown out her thoughts.

"That's what I thought you said," replied Harry with a grin like the Cheshire Cat. He pushed his plate away from him, his emerald eyes still locked on the girl before him. "I'm a little more accustomed to Ron talking with food in his mouth, but I guess, after a while, it's easy to translate anyone's version."

Abigail gaped skittishly at Harry's plate; had she disgusted him with her mouthful of food? She reprimanded herself even more than before, shifting her gaze to her own plate. In the few minutes she had spent with Harry, her plate had gone from overflowing with food to random scraps at the edges of her plate. Groaning aloud, Abigail frantically apologized to the boy before her for her barbaric nature.

"I'm promise I'm a lot more ladylike than I let off," she squeaked uncharacteristically.

Letting out another laugh, Harry shook his head. "You're fine, Abby!"

Ouch.

Abigail failed for remember that – despite finally deducing that she spent much of her time with Hermione Granger – Harry still saw her as one of Caitlyn's childhood buddies. She put on a fake smile before rubbing the back of her neck roughly.

"You never really did explain to me how you knew my habits," stated the blonde simply. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say I have a secret stalker before me."

"Very funny," retorted Harry. "Well, like I said, after our run-in up in my dorm last night, I tried to recall other times where we might have run into each other. Luckily enough, I seemed to remember a few moments during our fifth year where Hermione would burst into my dormitory complaining about how a certain friend of hers couldn't wake up on time even if her life depended on it; I just assumed it had to be you, considering you're never really at breakfast when everyone else is or you show up just as most everyone is leaving."

Abigail shrugged at the thought of Hermione running to Harry and Ron to complain about her. It seemed very much like something her brilliant, bushy-haired friend would do. Shaking her head at the idea, the blonde took another sip of water from her goblet. She was impressed with Harry's deduction – but then again, she was just impressed with Harry's presence in general.

"Guilty as charged," she chimed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "You caught me, Wonder Boy."

Seriously, what the bloody hell was this boy doing to her personality? Abigail found herself acting unlike herself just as she had the night before. What kind of spell did Harry Potter have on her? And more importantly, when would the side effects wear off?

Pushing herself out of her seat, Abigail shot Harry a smile and politely dismissed herself from the table. After all, she had finished with her breakfast – save for the bowl of cereal; Abigail had always been rather speedy when it came to eating, tending to overeat in the process. Shooting the boy with the green eyes one last smile, the blonde turned her heel to leave.

"Wait!" Harry said from across the table. "Are you headed to your first class?"

"That is an excellent question!" Abigail remarked.

So… she thought to herself, the two of them were back to this charade. Where was she headed though? Besides not wanting to refill her plate, she had simply excused herself because she wanted to save herself from any further embarrassment with the Wizarding World's savior. Now she had to come up with an answer otherwise she could potentially humiliate herself more.

"So are you going to answer it?" Harry wondered, a smile tugging at the ends of his lips. "Or are we going to have a repeat of last night?"

Abigail thought back to the night before. She recalled Harry's firm hold on her wrist. Immediately, the butterflies began to flutter within her stomach. She suddenly felt sick at the thought. Maybe butterflies after breakfast were not as lovely as a combination as she imagined – not that she imagined it at all, but at least, for future reference, she knew now.

"I was going to head to my first class," she uttered rapidly, clutching her stomach tightly, "but I'm suddenly not feeling all that go-."

Before Abigail could properly complete her reply to Harry, something in her stomach lurched. She came to regret thinking about the night prior; how was she to know that the fuzzy sensation she usually received when she thought of Harry did not blend well with a full stomach? As she was already on her feet, Abigail dashed out the doors of the Great Hall and up the stairs of the Grand Staircase.

With her right hand gripping at the fabric near her abdomen, Abigail's left hand flew directing over her mouth. If she didn't get to the lavatory fast enough, she would most likely retch all over the place. Once she reached the top of the staircase, Abigail made a hasty decision and turned right, allowing her feet to take her wherever they could. Even after six years in the castle, she still couldn't maneuver her way around without getting lost.

The map sounded _perfect _at the moment, Abigail thought. She could hear the sound of faint footsteps behind her, prompting her to move faster. Rounding the corner, the Gryffindor girl found herself in an unfamiliar bathroom. The sinks were arranged side by side in a column like display; the mirrors that hung above the sinks were small, dirty and quite dusty. By the looks of it, Abigail guessed that the bathroom hadn't been used in years.

How convenient, she thought as she scanned around for the nearest stall, this lavatory was located just above the Great Hall. Rushing to the left end of the room, where the toilets were located, Abigail slammed the stall door behind her, promptly collapsing to the floor and regurgitating her breakfast into the toilet.

A fit of amused giggles erupted from beyond Abigail's lavatory. Groaning, she continued to vomit. Forget making a fool of herself in front of Harry Potter, she had officially humiliated herself in front of whomever else was in the deserted bathroom.

"Long time – no – see," said a shrill, unfamiliar voice.

* * *

**-author's**** note-**

**[written]:** _February__ 21, 2015_  
**[published]: **_February__ 21, 2015__  
_**[last updated]: **_February__ 21, 2015_  
**[word count]:** _2,509__ words without a/n_

**[MV COMMENTS]:** i just want to thank you all for bearing with the insanity of my schedule and personal affairs. it has been a little over four months since the last time i updated this story and for that i apologize, but what with the university and my company demanding so much of my time, it makes it nearly impossible to write anything i enjoy nowadays. special thanks to all those that reviewed chapter eight. all of the answers to your questions will eventually be revealed, but for now, let's just go with the flow of things and see where they take us, haha. thanks for reading this week's installment of operation: potential breakup. reviews are the water and nutrients to the flower that is this story, be sure to keep it growing! otherwise, this flower will shrivel up and die. :( haha but seriously, i love reading the reviews y'all leave; they're inspiring, so be sure to lemme know what you think of this chapter. ~ **xoxo, mv.**


	10. Chapter 10

_Of course_.

Abigail groaned herself miserably at the thought of someone listening to her throw up. She figured someone had followed her into the lavatory, remembering the footsteps behinds her in the distance. But she hadn't counted on a _girl_ being the one to follow her! She expected Harry to be just outside her stall. Hell, at any rate, she half-expected Draco to be there.

Instead, a girl had followed her – her junior nonetheless! Abigail had postulated that Caitlyn couldn't be waiting for her beyond the cubicle; after all, the demon spawn was nowhere to be found since the events of last night, for Abigail anyway. There was no way that Hermione was the owner of the voice; despite how shrill Hermione's voice could get, the unfamiliarity was too resounding for Abigail to put a face to the voice.

As she finished spewing her breakfast into the porcelain bowl, Abigail ran a hand through her hair. She instantly felt lightheaded as she cautiously got to her feet. Her focus was no longer on the younger girl just outside the bathroom stall; Abigail brought at hand to her forehead, berating herself for thinking that either Harry or Draco would follow her into the bathroom. She was positive the two sixth year boys had more sense and loads of class than to waltz into a _girls_' lavatory.

"She's been in there for the past ten minutes," the high-pitched voice droned on once more.

Just great, Abigail thought. Whoever followed her into the bathroom brought friends! She was sure to be the laughingstock of the entire school at this rate. If Caitlyn caught wind of the situation, the Gryffindor knew she would never be able live it down; Caitlyn would mock her for years to come, adding backhanded comments and new nicknames to the mix. And if Caitlyn knew, eventually the Slytherins would know what happened. While Draco proved to be more supportive of her in the past, Abigail was certain after news of her current embarrassment leaked through the hallowed halls, the Malfoy boy wouldn't want to be seen with her.

"I find it rather amusing," the voice said.

Who on earth was she talking to? Abigail assumed that she had been drowning out the other potential voices with her own thoughts, as so many of them were circulating in her head. The blonde also guessed that maybe the others were just speaking in hushed voices rather than in the obnoxiously loud one that the first girl spoke in. Or maybe the girl who was speaking was simply madder than a hatter and talking to herself!

Abigail felt her eyelids getting heavy as she went to unlock the stall door. She brought a hand to her mouth, using the sleeve of her school uniform to wipe away any remaining residue. She hardly considered herself prepared when she saw Harry standing in front of her. Her eyes were wide with terror, discomfiture followed. A groan of anguish escaped her lips.

If Harry had been the one who followed her, who was the girl?

Just then, out of nowhere, appeared the short and stock ghost of a girl. Her long, dark hair was fastened into two low pigtails; the fringe of her hair covered the array of acne that distorted her face. The girl's dark eyes shielded behind thick-framed glasses much like Harry's.

Wonderful, she had managed to flee to Moaning Myrtle's lavatory. That explained the abandoned state of the bathroom, Abigail thought. She brought leaned against the stall's wall weakly, shooting Harry a faint smile. She had now managed to embarrass herself in front Harry, who just stared at her awkwardly, _and _Moaning Myrtle, who was giggling wildly at Abigail's expense.

"Are you all right?" asked Harry, rushing to her side.

Abigail prayed that she didn't reek of vomit; otherwise her humiliation would skyrocket into the next millennium. She pursed her lips together tightly with a small nod. Bringing a hand to cover her mouth, the blonde replied delicately, "I'm… I've been better. I may need to lie down."

"That was quite a show you put on!" cackled the ghost girl. "Have too much for breakfast?"

If she hadn't been feeling incredibly feeble, Abigail would have shot the squat ghost a vicious death glare; however, she was feeling weak and she was in the presence of Harry Potter, she had to at least _try_ to be nice.

The Gryffindor nodded. "Perhaps," she coughed. "I didn't get much to eat last night, so I had to make up for it somehow."

Harry slipped his arm carefully around Abigail's waist, draping her arm around his neck. Oh no, she whimpered inwardly, what the bloody hell was Harry Potter doing to her? What if she smelled rancid from the vomit? Or what if she was too heavy for him to drag up to the Gryffindor Common Room? What if she wasn't done puking?

"What're you doing?" she withdrew her arm from around his neck, still covering her mouth with one hand and reaching to scratch her neck with the other. "Harry, I'll be fine."

As the words left Abigail's lips, she could feel the butterflies dance around her stomach once more. Whatever spell Harry had on her, she knew it wasn't a good one. Immediately, the blonde turned into the bathroom stall once more, slammed the door and continued to throw up. She could feel herself getting weaker by the minute as she continued to make a fool of herself in front of the boy of her dreams.

As the stall door slowly swung open, she let out a soft, disgruntled moan, leaning her head against the wall of the cubicle. The world around her was spinning about madly and Abigail was having the most difficult time trying to make it all just stop. Her eyes lids were getting heavier with every passing second. She could just feel her head starting to droop.

"Oh no, you don't!" remarked Harry, lunging forward to bring Abigail to her feet. "I've got you, Abby."

Repeating the same procedure from earlier, Harry maneuvered the sickly blonde's arm around his neck, his hand slipping around her waist. He cautiously guided Abigail out of the cramped stall and into the more spacious part of the lavatory, where Myrtle was still laughing. Harry shot her a look of slight disapproval before returning his attention to the distressed damsel to his right.

"'I'll be fine'," he said sternly, "my arse. I need to get you to the Hospital Wing this very minute."

Abigail inhaled sharply as she and Harry made their way toward the bathroom's exit. She could feel herself wanting to throw up again, but she willed herself not to. How could she? _The _Harry Potter was escorting her to the infirmary; the last thing she wanted was to spew her breakfast – or whatever was left of it – at the Boy Who Lived.

Her proximity to Harry, however, was infuriately frustrating. His smell was so intoxicating and the feel of his touch was even _worse_! She could feel herself getting sicker with every thought, wondering what the hell was going on with her. Despite what she just experienced, Abigail knew she wasn't sick; she was _never _sick – at least now like this.

"Harry, please," she choked out, trying to fight him off her. If the so-called butterflies in her stomach were causing her to throw up every time, the very last thing she wanted was Harry holding her the way he was. She successfully managed to pull away from Harry, leaning against the nearest sink straightaway. "I can make it to Madam Pomfrey by myself. I wouldn't want you to miss your first class on a count of me-."

"Nonsense," Harry replied. "Class doesn't start for another half-hour or so; I'm going to help you to the Hospital Wing because… well for starters, you seem really out of sorts. I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing even if it means carrying you there."

Abigail fought to widen her eyes. The thought of Harry carrying her to the Hospital Wing was a bothersome one. All her previous thoughts floated through her head: What if she smelled terribly from all the vomiting? What if Harry was more used to carrying his featherweight girlfriend and Abigail's a little above average weight was too much for him? She shook her head at his response. The blonde told him that his chivalry was not necessary on a girl like her, running a hand through her hair as if to assure the raven-haired boy she'd be okay.

"I'd hardly consider this 'chivalry'!" Harry remarked, walking toward her. Although Myrtle was still snickering to herself in the other end of the restroom, Harry was determined to convince Abigail that her recent gagging was completely natural. "If this is because ashamed of what just happened, Abby, I don't care; stuff like this happens to me all the time! Just ask Hermione!"

The frail blonde shot Harry a smile of gratitude. She could tell that he was exaggerating; Hermione never mentioned the Boy Wonder retching his breakfast – or any of his meals. In fact, the only time Hermione ever really brought up Harry was if Abigail subtly threw his name out in a conversation. She shook her head again.

"It's not that," she said, biting her lip. Abigail could feel the acidity burn her mouth as she continued to speak. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to deal with the sour taste. Her hand found its way to the back of her neck suddenly. "I'm not embarrassed by it – well, not entirely. I'm just – I can make it there myself. Honest!"

Rolling his eyes, Harry shot Abigail a knowing look. "Look," he tried again, "I will carry you there myself if I have to. Besides, I'm not doing this to be chivalrous; I'm doing this because it's what _friends _do, Abby."

Okay, ouch. Abigail didn't know what hurt her more: the nickname or the 'F' word. She let out a weak chuckle. Perhaps the nickname hurt more, as it always did. After all, if Harry trusted her enough to call her a 'friend', at least she was on the right track; it sure beat the position she had been in the night before!

"Yes," she cleared her throat, hoping to rid her mouth of the extremely bitter taste, "but in doing that, you realize that the act make you all the _more _noble!"

With half a smile, Harry scooped up the girl into his arms effortlessly. His emerald almond-shaped eyes met with her now-widened sapphire ones. "Well then," he teased, "let's get you to where you need to be."

"Harry!" Abigail coughed out roughly, failing her arms about as much as she could. Eventually her limbs grew weak and she caved to the idea of Harry bringing her to the infirmary. After all, it seemed like he had no trouble carrying her.

"Harry," chirped out the voice of Myrtle as she hovered just about Harry and Abigail, "don't be a stranger. _You're_ always welcome here."

Mild nervousness shadowed Harry's once jovial expression. He nodded slightly at the ghost before looking back at Abigail, who was avoiding all eye contact with him. Quickly, but carefully, Harry made his way out of the abandoned bathrooms and into the hallways. The Hospital Wing was only a few halls away from him, so perhaps the awkward silence between him and Abigail would be short-lived – or at least, that's what he told himself.

"Is everything all right, Abby?" he asked with concern. "You've been really quiet…"

Abigail had crossed her arms over her stomach as Harry cradled her in his arms. Though she didn't want to admit it, she rather enjoyed the position she was currently in – despite everything that happened to get her there. Still avoiding eye contact with the Gryffindor hero, Abigail smiled faintly; how did he not find this at all weird? And if he did find it awkward, he had a great way of hiding it.

"I'm fine," she croaked. "I'm just not used to being this close in proximity to people."

While it wasn't the truth, it wasn't exactly a lie either. Abigail thought about the last time someone had carried her bridal style was when she had broken her ankle during third year. She had been racing off to the Dungeons in hopes to confide in Draco about her fears of the escape of Sirius Black when she missed one of the steps of the staircase and slipped. Luckily for her, Draco had been on his way to the library when he found her lying on the stone flooring. She recalled the memory with a small smile; times were simpler then, if only they could have stayed like that forever.

"I'm not used to it either," Harry laughed as he rounded the corner to the Hospital Wing.

After a couple more moments of silence, Harry and Abigail finally made it to the large doors of the infirmary. The raven-haired boy looked down at the girl in his arms; at the very least, she had calmed down significantly since he first picked her up. However, the only thought that plagued his state of mind currently was if anyone _saw _them.

"Wonder Boy," wheezed Abigail with a smirk, "I think I can make it from here. Thanks for the help."

Cautiously allowing Abigail to her feet, Harry continued to smile. He noticed that she still looked a little fragile and frowned. "Abby, at least let me help you into the Hospital Wing itself."

"What if you're late to class!" she argued, weakly smiling up at him. "I can't have that on my conscience, Potter."

Harry rolled his eyes as he pushed the door to the infirmary open for Abigail. "How many times must I remind you that I've got a fair amount of time before classes?" he laughed. "Do I need to give you a copy of my timetable or something, Crenshaw? Or maybe even just a wristwatch so you'll know how much time is allotted?"

It was now Abigail's turn to roll her eyes. Stumbling into the Hospital Wing, she let out a frustrated breath of air. "Either is fine, Wonder Boy," she teased. "However, I am in need of a nice little trinket to add to my collection of Muggle whozits and whatsits, so a wristwatch would do just fine!"

"It's you is it!" came a stern voice. At the other end of the room, Madam Pomfrey was tending to another student in bed. The Hogwarts matron handed her patient a goblet before rushing off to Harry and Abigail. "Mister Potter, you don't look as though you've been doing anything dangerous; what are you in for?"

Harry let out a small chuckle, motioning toward Abigail. "Actually, Madam Pomfrey, I'm just here escorting my friend, Abigail," he replied, scooting the blonde toward the grey-haired lady. "She wasn't feeling all too well this morning and right as we were on our way to class, she sort of vomited."

_Sort of_? Abigail scoffed. It seemed to her as though Harry was trying to save her any further embarrassment. She praised Merlin's beard for the chivalrous nature of the Boy Who Lived. Wobbling back and forth slightly, she looked up at the school nurse with a small smile, the acid taste still present in her mouth.

"For a good ten minutes," he added with a concerned frown.

So much for saving her from embarrassment!

Madam Pomfrey instantly pushed Abigail to the nearest bed.

"Madam Pomfrey," Abigail blurt out, struggling against the force of the matron, "I'm feeling much better!"

Madam Pomfrey's stared into her Abigail's eyes, blue met blue. And in only a few moments, Abigail was forced onto the hospital bed. "Nonsense!" remarked the older lady. "You look paler than usual."

Confused, Abigail wondered how Madam Pomfrey knew the natural shade of her skin – especially considering the fact that Abigail had never been treated in the Hospital Wing before. She shot Harry a pleading look as the taller boy simply stared at her with a smile. Madam Pomfrey dashed to the other end of the room to grab the proper medication for the possibly ill witch.

The two of them, Abigail noted, seemed to be doing that a lot. She could feel herself warming up at the thought; perhaps he made her as happy as she had made him? She shook her head slightly at the idea as he came close to her bedside.

"I can't stay," he reminded her gently. Abigail stared at him, her eyes focused on his. She had never realized how truly green they looked and how they had a certain sparkle about them. "But if you're still here after class, I'll be sure to come and visit."

"I'd really appreciate that, Harry," she spoke softly, the sudden realization of her weakened state finally hitting her.

"Madam Pomfrey will take excellent care of you!" he assured. "You'll more than likely be out of here faster that you can say 'breakfast'!"

Abigail grimaced at the mention of the meal they had just shared. What the bloody hell was happening to her? First, she found herself blushing when Draco was teasing her. Then, she spoke to her long-time crush with a mouthful of food like some barbarian. And not long after, she made of fool of herself in front of the bathroom ghost and Harry Potter simply because he couldn't stomach the thought of the night prior. She shot the raven-haired boy a fake glare.

"Too soon?" he teased. "I'll be sure to let Hermione know you're in here."

Pausing for a moment, Abigail stared at Harry in confusion, her head now resting on the cushiony pillow behind her. What did he mean he was going to tell Hermione? Unless this boy had some serious gall, that task of simply talking to Hermione was deemed impossible by Abigail herself – especially considering what Draco reported back to her. Immediately, her mind drifted to the suddenly frightening thought of the her encounter with Harry Potter…

… where was his beloved girlfriend, Caitlyn Moore?

* * *

**-****author's note****-**

**[****written****]:** _March 5__, 2015  
_**[****published****]: **_March 5__, 2015  
_**[****last updated****]: **_March 5__, 2015  
_**[****word count****]:** _3,019__ words without a/n_

**[****MV COMMENTS****]:** another update in less than a month? i think this is a new record for me with this story. haha, i jest; i know i used to update this story weekly over the summer break. okay, so despite the fact that this story literally only receive _one _review since its late update (by the way because of that, i would like to dedicate this chapter in honor of **OmuiYuni**.), i decided to be generous with you all considering the fact that i hadn't updated in so long. also, i encourage you all to keep an eye out for some of my new one-shots (most of them will be harry/oc). in other news, i just want to thank you all for reading the latest installment of operation: potential breakup. please, please, please favorite, follow and/or leave a review; all of those would bring a smile to my heart. thanks in advance for the love, everyone. ~ **xoxo, mv.**


	11. Chapter 11

"Are you feeling any better?" was the first thing Abigail heard as her eyes fluttered open. Despite the lightheadedness she was still feeling, she could honestly say that she was doing _much _better than earlier that day. Madam Pomfrey had provided her with many vials of medication, one of which happened to be the Potion for Dreamless Sleep.

Yawning, Abigail stretched as she readjusted herself on the hospital bed she had been assigned. The blonde Gryffindor turned to see Hermione and Ron standing at her bedside. With a faint smile, Abigail nodded and replied, "I've probably had… better days – if I'm being honest. But I'm feeling much better than I was this morning."

Hermione sighed, smoothing out the sheets of the hospital bed before taking a seat. "What happened exactly?" asked the bushy-haired, sixteen-year-old Gryffindor. "You seemed perfectly fine last night-."

"And you looked fine this morning when I left to find Hermione. Did Malfoy do something to you?" Ron asked, his tone becoming slightly darker at the thought of his Slytherin rival.

Although she could hardly bear sitting up to talk with her friends, Abigail vigorously shook her head at Ron's accusation. "Draco would _never_ do anything to hurt me," she insisted. "I ate my breakfast too quickly this morning – and I guess I ate too much of it as well."

Letting out a snort, Hermione rolled her eyes at her best friend. "You can't be serious," she laughed. "Abigail Crenshaw… eat _too much_? Well, I never!"

Abigail grumbled to herself as both Hermione and Ron began to laugh at her expense. She herself could not place the true reason behind her little episode earlier, so she just assumed that it was due to her ingesting too much in such a short amount of time. "It's not funny, Granger," hissed the mildly ill blonde. "I'm pretty sure there are other contributing factors to my vomiting this morning, but the only thing I can link it to is-."

"Oh Miss Crenshaw, you're up!" remarked Madam Pomfrey. The matron made her way from the opposite end of the room to Abigail's bed. As she approached her patient, the grey-haired witch handed Abigail a vial-full of a liquid that was emitting a familiar, light silver vapor. "Take this."

Abigail carefully accepted the vial, eyeing it suspiciously. She could not remember if this was one of the potions that she took before falling asleep. Slowly, the skeptical Gryffindor brought the vial to her lips. Her blue eyes darted from the vial to the matron to her two friends in hopes of an explanation.

Madam Pomfrey chuckled to herself before shooting Abigail a stern look. "Oh, for goodness sake! Miss Crenshaw, that is a Draught of Peace," the older woman said. "You took it earlier this morning with no trouble."

"Draught of Peace?" Hermione questioned as Abigail took tiny swigs of the potion. "Abigail said she was in here because she overate."

The matron of Hogwarts let out another laugh, shaking her head. "Oh no, Miss Granger! Miss Crenshaw was admitted into my care earlier this morning," Madam Pomfrey replied. "After running a couple tests, it is clear to me that Miss Crenshaw was suffering severely from a mild case of anxiety and panic. Over what, I'm not entirely sure, but it seems to me that whatever it was, it was enough to cause this."

Finishing off the rest of the potion, Abigail handed Madam Pomfrey the empty vial. She had not been paying much attention – or any at all – to what was being said about her potential anxiety; the only thing Abigail had been sure of was that the potion she had taken was known as the Draught of Peace. Abigail yawned once more before turning to her friends.

"When will I be free to leave?" Abigail wondered, receiving wide-eyed stares from Hermione and Ron.

Madam Pomfrey straightened out some of the items on the bedside table before turning to Abigail. "Seeing as you've finished your potion, I see nothing wrong with leaving now. However, if you feel as uneasy as you did this morning, come straight to me."

With that, the matron made her way to the other patients in the Hospital Wing. Abigail slowly made her way out of the hospital bed, getting to her feet with Hermione and Ron's help. Thanking her friends, Abigail led the way out of the Hospital Wing.

Once the trio of friends was out, Hermione spoke up. "Abigail, what were you so anxious about that landed you in the Hospital Wing in the first place?"

Abigail stopped in her tracks with a small laugh. "What are you talking about, Hermione?"

"Weren't you listening to Madam Pomfrey?" Ron wondered. "She said that panic and anxiety is the reason you were throwing up."

Abigail thought back to the conversation that took place only moments ago. She had tuned the universe out after she began taking sips of the Draught of Peace. Calmly, she turned to face her friends, who were only a few feet away. "It might've had to do with some of the stuff I was dealing with this morning," stated Abigail, thinking back to the happenings of that morning. "Then again, last night was pretty big too."

Hermione stared at Abigail in confusion. "What happened this morning?"

Returning the confused look, Abigail eyed Hermione and Ron curiously. "I should be asking you the same thing!" she remarked. "Draco told us that Moore confronted you this morning and that it left you in tears and that history was repeating itself!"

As the blonde Gryffindor continued to fume about Harry Potter's girlfriend, Hermione glanced at Ron with slight concern and then turned her attention back to Abigail. "You've got it all wrong, Abs! Caitlyn didn't confront me about anything; in fact, she was trying to _comfort _me… of course, in the state I was in, I wouldn't have anyone's pity."

"Then… what happen-?"

"My grandmother's fallen ill," Hermione explained, sadness clouding her eyes once more. "My parents don't think she'll make it to next month. That's why I wasn't there to greet you this morning; I was on my way to the Headmaster's office to discuss some of my options on what to do with him."

"Wait…" Ron finally cut in. "What did you think happened? You and Malfoy seemed to be under the impression that something else entirely had happened."

Abigail let Hermione's words sink in. So Caitlyn hadn't done anything to ruin the Golden Trio's famous friendship, the Gryffindor told herself. She shook her head in disbelief; it just did not make any sense for Caitlyn to _not _interfere with Harry's friendships. "Oh… nothing, I guess I've just had too much going on in my head to be thinking straight."

"Apparently," Hermione retorted. "What exactly triggered your little fit of anxiety? You're not one to usually be in a panicked state like that."

"… a lot's been going on, I guess," said Abigail, scratching the back of her head. "If I'm being honest, I don't really even know what triggered it."

Biting her tongue, Abigail silently cursed herself for lying to her friends. Of course, she knew what caused her sudden fits of anxiety. While at first she did not know the reason, once Madam Pomfrey (or rather once Hermione and Ron) explained that it was anxiety, it suddenly became clear to Abigail. After all, who could blame her for feeling the way she was? There was so much going on!

Hermione and Ron continued to walk toward Abigail, caring smiles on their faces.

"What do you say," Hermione began, latching her arm onto Abigail's, "we head up to the common room and talk? Maybe we can figure out what's wrong through casual conversation!"

Abigail, Hermione and Ron traversed up the staircases to the Gryffindor tower. While Hermione and Ron discussed what Abigail missed during her short stay in the Hospital Wing, Abigail's mind wandered to the happenings of the past day; twenty-four hours had gone by and already so much had changed.

"My poor baby!" screeched an all-too-familiar voice.

The trio of friends had just walked into the Gryffindor Common Room. At the sound of the voice, Abigail groaned inwardly to herself. She tried to shield her face from Caitlyn's vision; however, Hermione and Ron were making a beeline for the fireplace, which was basically in Caitlyn's line of fire.

"Why in Merlin's name were you even in the Hospital Wing?" the petite brunette cooed, draping her arms around her beloved boyfriend. "Did you have another run-in with Malfoy? I ought to give him a piece of my mind!"

Abigail watched as Harry shook his head. She sighed to herself; in her mind, there was no way that the Boy Who Lived would openly admit to everything that happened between them after breakfast to his insanely jealous girlfriend!

"Caitlyn, it's all right!" Harry reassured with a small chuckle, returning his girlfriend's embrace. "I haven't had a run-in with Malfoy for over a year now; I'm feeling fine! In fact, I was just visiting one of your friends in the Hospital Wing earlier."

So he was going to tell Caitlyn what happened, the Gryffindor girl told herself, he just wasn't going to give her the full truth. Abigail could feel her heart stop as Hermione and Ron nonchalantly walked past Harry and Caitlyn; maybe if she tried to be just as casual, she could pass by the couple undetected.

Following suit with Hermione and Ron, Abigail calmly walked across the common room. She held her breath as she passed by the loving couple's hug, shifting her eyes toward Harry as she made her way to the couch. And almost immediately, Abigail felt instant regret.

In shifting her gaze ever so slightly towards Harry, Abigail had managed to catch his attention. She noticed how his eyes filled with curiosity and relief at the sight of her; perhaps, Abigail thought, Harry was happy that she was feeling better. The Gryffindor girl just hoped that Harry wouldn't draw attention to her.

"I'm glad," Harry said, releasing Caitlyn from their embrace, "that you're feeling better, Abby!"

_Just my luck_.

* * *

**-****author's note****-**

**[****written****]:** _March 26__, 2016  
_**[****published****]: **_March 26__, 2016  
_**[****last updated****]: **_March 26__, 2016  
_**[****word count****]:** _1,690__ words without a/n_

**[****MV COMMENTS****]:** guess who after more than a year decided to update... lol, yay! okay, i owe you all an apology for the long hiatus and i believe you all deserve an explanation. in the time i was away, i got accepted into an internship program that required me to move across the country. it took more time to prepare than i thought and writing was just put on the back of my mind. but now that i've taken a semester off of school and the only thing that i have to do while i'm out here (other than attempt to survive as an adult in the real world) is got to work. i get an hour break during every shift so i figured i could write stories during that break! this chapter is dedicated to all of you. thank you so much for reading this chapter! i truly appreciate it, everyone. please, please, please don't forget to leave a review. :) kthxbye. ~ **xoxo, mv.**


	12. Chapter 12

Abigail froze. So much for the Draught of Peace, she told herself as she slowly turned to face Harry and Caitlyn. As she turned to face Hogwarts's power couple, Abigail shifted her gaze toward her best friend and the redhead seated at the fireplace; how could they just sit there casually while Harry basically signed her death warrant? The blonde Gryffindor put on a smile at the last second as she locked eyes with Caitlyn.

"Feeling better?" Caitlyn wondered as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's waist. "Abby, I didn't even know you were feeling under the weather to begin with!"

Abigail pursed her lips together tightly, roughly shoving her hands into the pockets of her school robe. When facing her childhood rival in front of people – especially _now _in the presence of Harry Potter, Abigail knew there were one of two ways to handle the situation: she could either A) give Caitlyn the same snarky attitude she had always given her or B) she could bite her tongue for the moment and be civil for the sake of Harry and everyone else in the room.

"Yeah," muttered Abigail suddenly becoming more concerned with her shoes. She bit her tongue before replying again; how much of her story was she allowed to reveal to Caitlyn? Or rather, how much of the story was Harry willing to let slide? After all, weren't they still fighting about whatever happened the night before or had they made up for whatever Caitlyn overreacted about? From Abigail's standpoint, it was hard to tell.

"Hermione told me she wasn't feeling well this morning," Harry said, wrapping his arm around Caitlyn. "So I went to go check on her earlier with the two of them; if I had known they had gone back to pick her up from the Hospital Wing, I would have asked you to come with me, love."

… so that was the story he wanted to tell Caitlyn, Abigail told herself. She noticed how Harry's eyes darted quickly to Hermione and Ron, who were still wrapped up in their own conversation to notice what was happening only a few feet away. Knowing Caitlyn all too well, Abigail thought of all the possible loopholes and potential problems with Harry's statement.

With a small nod, Abigail's blue eyes met Caitlyn's brown ones briefly. Her hands immediately flew to the back of her neck, scratching it in discomfort. "Yeah," Abigail said, trying to think of what to say. "Hermione came back up to the dorms a little after I woke up to check on me since I wasn't feeling all too good yesterday…?"

It was more of a question than it was a statement; Abigail was so used to lying to Caitlyn for her own reasons, she forgot what it was like to lie to her for the sake of someone else.

"Oh, that's right!" Caitlyn chirped, resting her head against Harry's body. "You did look sickly when you came into the dorm yesterday, Abby, but I just figured you were having another one of your _days _since you have so many of them so often…"

Abigail bit her tongue for – what felt like – the umpteenth time during that interaction with Caitlyn. Pressing her lips together very tightly, she clenched her fists, shoving them into her robe pockets once more; it had only been a few minutes into this conversation with Caitlyn and Abigail already wishing for its end.

"Love," Harry said gently, causing Caitlyn to turn to face him, "I'm going to go talk to Hermione and Ron really quickly… is that all right?"

Releasing Harry from her hold, Caitlyn nodded happily. The petite brunette turned to face her boyfriend with a huge grin. "Of course," she chimed. "Take all the time you need; Abby and I need to _catch up_…"

Abigail could feel her heart stop. When was the last time she and Caitlyn were alone in a room together? And when was the last time their solitude ended on a positive note? And more importantly, what in the bloody hell were Hermione and Ron discussing that required all of their attention? It certainly couldn't have been their plans of intervention, Abigail told herself.

Harry gave Caitlyn a soft, quick kiss on the cheek before leaving to sit with his friends on the couch.

"Are you sure you're feeling all right, Abby?" asked Caitlyn with a giggle once Harry was out of earshot. "You still look rather… off."

"I just need some rest," Abigail said flatly. "I'm going to the dorm-."

"But the day only just started a couple of hours ago," Caitlyn pressed with a smirk, her brown eyes glimmering with amusement. "Abby, come… we must catch up! It's been _years _since we last spoke."

Abigail eyed the Golden Trio from where she stood. She didn't understand why Harry's relationship with Caitlyn hadn't placed a terrible strain on their friendship. Well, they weren't the Golden Trio for nothing, Abigail told herself. With a sigh, she turned back to her childhood nemesis with a fake smile.

"Wouldn't be the same catching up without Dray and his friends, would it?"

Caitlyn shot back the same fake smile, taking a step toward the blonde. "No, I suppose you're right, _Abby_. After all, how can I be completely caught up in the wonderful life of little, or-"

"Love, you won't believe what just happened!"

Though just words away from a verbal war, Abigail and Caitlyn turned their heads in the direction of the outburst. Harry grinned from ear to ear while seated beside him, Hermione and Ron turned various shades of pink.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Abigail noticed how Caitlyn's mood immediately shifted from her ice to nice at the sound of Harry's voice.

"Hermione and Ron are going to the ball together!" announced the raven-haired boy, throwing his arms around his best friends' shoulders.

Caitlyn flashed Harry a bright smile. "Oh, that's so wonderful to hear, Hermione," she remarked, quickly making her way over to the Golden Trio. She plopped herself into the armchair beside the fireplace before turning to Abigail with a smirk. "Do _you _have a date to the ball yet, Abby dear?"

Abigail could feel all eyes on her. It was as though time had stopped as her punishment for just _knowing _Caitlyn Moore. Her breathing intensified as she looked toward Hermione and Ron, both of whom were looking at her with the same worry; all three Gryffindors knew that if news of Abigail's date surfaced in the presence of Harry _and _Caitlyn, all bloody hell would break lose.

"… no," Abigail muttered, her eyes shooting to the carpeted patch where the couches sat. As much as she wished she didn't have to, Abigail continued to think up a lie for Caitlyn to hear; however, she needed to think of a lie that didn't make her look like a complete loser. "… like I told you yesterday: … dances aren't… my thing."

The blonde girl watched as Harry's girlfriend smirked in satisfaction. Turning to the staircase, Abigail rolled her eyes, letting out an audible sigh. "I'm suddenly not feeling well," she announced in irritation. "I'll be in my bed if anyone needs me… so try not to need me."

"Abs, we still have class-!"

"_Try not to need me_," hissed Abigail, not taking her eyes off the stairwell. She marched up the steps to her dormitory, leaving the other four Gryffindors sitting silently in the common room.

* * *

**-****author's note****-**

**[****written****]:** _April 6__, 2016  
_**[****published****]: **_April__ 6__, 2016  
_**[****last updated****]: **_April __6__, 2016  
_**[****word count****]:** _1,245__ words without a/n_

**[****MV COMMENTS****]:** thank you so much for reading the latest installment of _operation: potential breakup_! since its last update, i have received many messages and reviews from all of you and i just want to thank each and everyone of you for your dedication and interest in this story. i would also very much like to thank (as well as dedicate this chapter to) **gr8rockstarrox** for the eleven back-to-back reviews on this story. thank you so so so much. once again, i want to thank you all for your time! i truly hope you enjoyed this update and i'll see you all in the next one! don't forget to review. :) ~ **xoxo, mv.**


End file.
